Gala Dinner raises £9,000 for Kenya Schools

Form 6 pupils raised an impressive £9,000 after holding a charity gala dinner to raise funds for schools in Kenya.

One of the organisers, Form 6 pupil Bella Fox, tells us more:

‘On Friday 25 November, pupils who are going to Kenya in February half-term held a charity gala dinner to raise funds to purchase the materials that we will use to plaster and paint the schools we will be visiting.

The dinner, which was held in the Barraclough, was attended by nearly 90 guests, who were made up of parents, family friends and teachers. At the dinner those travelling to Kenya served the guests a delicious three-course meal cooked by the Barraclough staff. The evening was planned and executed by those travelling to Kenya; everything down to the decorations, menu, and auction prizes.

The auction contained many wonderful prizes that had been kindly donated, one of which was a week away in Paris and our auctioneer did an amazing job in getting everyone involved in the bidding. Another way in which those travelling to Kenya raised money during the evening was through encouraging many to bet on the scores of the England match against the USA.

After the success of the event, we have now gained even more confidence with our future fundraising ideas and activities; one events that we have planned for the New Year is a Krispy Kreme doughnut sale that will be led by the Kenya goers.

Deputy Head (Pastoral) Mrs Gomm, who is leading the trip, said: “It was a very successful evening, with great teamwork as the pupils all worked well together. They learnt a lot in their preparations for the dinner and from hosting and executing the event. The support they had for each other bodes well for trip.”

The night was a huge success. Thanks to the generosity of the guests, we managed to raise £9,000 and I would like to say a massive thank you to all the guests for their support and kindness.’