Brambletye school pupils presented a cheque for an elephantine £27,000 to the Flames of Hope project on Friday 22 September.
Children gathered on stage in the Brambletye theatre, dressed in costumes to represent the various ways in which they had raised money for the charity to present the cheque to Lucinda Bolton Carter , Chair of the Vanessa Grant Trust UK Board of trustees.
A dachshund, boxing gloves, bag pipes, roller skates, a cake, a steering wheel were just some of the weird and wonderful props brought on stage by the children.
Flames of Hope is a project run by the Vanessa Grant Trust in Rongai, Kenya. The project will build a school and sheltered accommodation for children who have little or no speech. The money which Brambletye has raised will enable classrooms and a dormitory to be completed and furnished. It has also enabled the school to become operational in January 2018, well ahead of schedule.
Brambletye pupils have engaged in many initiatives over the year to raise the funds. Events included an auction of pupils and Old Brambletyean’s art, sponsored runs, a roller disco, a dog show, Boxercise, a home clothes day and a summer fun day. Y4 pupils set up businesses and donated their profits and there were some special events for parents, like the Burns’ night, and all the family like the 4×4 challenge around the school grounds. The collection from the annual Carol Service helped boost funds as did a Staff v Dads football match and Staff v Mothers Netball.
Each year, children choose which charity they wish to support following presentations by staff representing three different charities. Ian Purcell, Head of Science who made the winning pitch for Flames of Hope said: “In this record breaking year the Brambletye Children have been instrumental in assisting with so many of the events from marshalling in the 4×4 challenge to painting artworks and running the dog show they have been inspiring. That they care so much for those less fortunate than themselves is a testament to the values and beliefs we try to instil in them here at school.”
Headmaster Will Brooks said: “ This is the largest amount that Brambletye has ever raised. We are hugely grateful to the support of the Brambletye community. Giving our pupils an understanding of social impact and how they can make a difference to people less fortunate than ourselves is incredibly important. We look forward to supporting our local charity Demelza this year and hope we may surpass our record.”
This academic year, children have voted to support Demelza Hospice Care for Children which provides care and support for seriously ill children, young people and their families across East Sussex, Kent and South.
