co-curricular

Form Charity

Fighting forms forge the way for a first-rate year of fundraising

There’s nothing like a bit of good old-fashioned competitiveness to kick-start boys into action, and it needn’t be the divisive, elitist entity painted by present-day politicians who favour the ‘everyone’s a winner’ approach of a nanny state. At Hampton School, the Inter-Form Charity Competition has proved the very opposite, encouraging forms, their mentors and their tutors to work together to raise record amounts in the name of charity. 1J excelled in their year group, with a total of £782, boosted considerably by their iPod raffle at the HSPA Summer Fair. 2B were also onto a winner on a scorching June Saturday with their ice cream stall, pushing their final sum to an impressive £1450. The tightest race to the trophy was run in the Third Year with 3F beating 3G by just £30 to a total of £937.

The Summer Fair, generating over £2300 for Form Charity, was a fitting finish to the year’s fundraising which began in earnest in the Autumn Term when the boys were inspired by a visit from Helen Bamber, founder of the Helen Bamber Foundation, a UK based human rights organisation which helps rebuild lives and inspire a new self-esteem in survivors of gross human rights violations. Cake-sales, or rather boys’ stomachs, appeared the least affected by the credit-crunch, with 2B making a record-breaking £440 in just fifteen minutes.

At the chalk/whiteboard face, fifteen minutes held a different significance when the words ‘it’s for charity’ were mentioned: fame. Yes, the annual event was once again approaching where teachers (willingly) face the music and dance all in the name of a good cause, but this year there was something kinda ooooh…different about it. Not only were there just three male staff in drag (Mr Passey as a disturbingly flirtatious Cheryl Cole, Mr Davies as Peter Kay’s Geraldine, and Mr Peel as a blonde for no particular reason), but there was also…how can one say it…an x-factor. ‘Stars in their Eyes’ had been re-vamped as The X-Factor, transformed by Mr Salkield’s blue LED X and the humorous quips of Dermot O’Leary (Mr Gutteridge), the dulcet Welsh (!) tones of Louis Walsh (Mr Slater), the seductive looks of Cheryl and Dannii (Mr Passey and Anna Polise respectively), and the obnoxious observations of Simon Cowell (Mr MacDonald). With an audience of just under 1000, the Christmas show made the equivalent number of pounds sterling in just half an hour.

Dressing up proved an equally successful money spinner for the Second Years who were sponsored to come to school dressed as their favourite literary characters to mark Children’s Book Week. Bill and Ben (aka Jake Quinn and James Lack), though not speaking ‘Oddle Poddle’, created the greatest impact on the day with flowerpot costumes which could only be described as ‘flobbadob-fantastic’!

For the rest of the year Form Charity focused its efforts on raising money for Kids’ Company, an organisation which currently supports approximately 12 000 vulnerable children in London, running projects in schools, at street level, and for post-16s, and ‘Fight for Peace’, which works to eradicate youth participation in drug trafficking and armed violence in the slums of Rio de Janeiro through boxing, martial arts, education programmes and youth support services. 1P’s ice pop sale, 3F’s four cake sales, 3J’s sweet sale and 3A’s Guitar Hero Tournament made much of the money, but even the staff couldn’t resist entering into the competitive spirit when Lower Sixth Elliot Rooney presented them with the opportunity for an inter-departmental 5-a-side tournament.

By the end of the year, a grand total of £20 000 had been reached, with our three main charities sharing £13 000. Other organisations to benefit included Good Gifts, Manta School in Benin, Marie Curie, Christian Aid, Red Nose Day, Habitat for Humanity, Clarendon School and our link school, Kiira College, in Uganda which celebrates its 50th anniversary in July 2009.

Many thanks to everyone who has supported Form Charity this year and helped bring a little happiness to the lives of those in need.

C Goddard. September 2009

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