Oakwood children ‘juggle’ schoolwork and fun for charity!

Tuesday 7th July 2020

Oakwood School pupils went (acro)bats for a charity Circus Dress Up Day at Oakwood School last Friday! The youngsters each paid a donation to get out of uniform and dress up as circus performers for the day to raise money and awareness for the school’s two nominated charities this year: Sage House – Dementia Support, based in Tangmere, and The OHMI Trust, which pioneers the development and adaptation of musical instruments for people who are physically disabled.

Headteacher Clare Bradbury said: “The support that charities everywhere usually receive has been severely hit by the COVID-19 lockdown this year. Now that many of our children are returning to school, they have been keen to link up again with local charities that are close to all our hearts here at Oakwood. This latest fundraiser was a great way to have fun and raise money – without too much clowning around in school, of course!

“We are doing all we can to maintain our strong ties we have created over many years with charities and community organisations, such as our friends at a number of local care homes who the children often visit, and whose residents join us each year for events such as our Summer Tea Party, Harvest Festival and Community Christmas.”

Other worthwhile causes have already benefitted from thousands of pounds worth of money-raising activities during the year up to lockdown. These include St Wilfrid’s Hospice, NHS Charities Together, Read for Good, Little Princess Trust, WWF (for wildlife affected by Australia’s bush fires), St Richard’s Hospital, Monkey World, Love Your Hospital, Chance to Shine, Different Strokes and Stonepillow. The children’s individual efforts during lockdown for charities with particular meaning to them led to a total fundraising effort of almost £10,000.

Clare Bradbury added, “The school is heartened that Oakwood’s focus on thinking of others truly impacts its pupils’ independent choices of how they have spent their time during lockdown.”

Each year, the pupils and their families vote for national and local charities to receive support from the school, with children coming up with creative ways to raise funds, such as Design-a-Bug House, cake sales and photography competitions.