Charity Walk Raises £15,000

Back in September, all Shiplake pupils joined together to embark upon a 20 mile journey along the River Thames to raise money for five chosen charities. Before (and after) completing the challenge, pupils were tasked with gathering sponsorship for their endeavours. Their efforts paid off as the charities visited the College last week to collect their share of the mammoth £15,000 total.

You may recall that not all participants stuck to the ‘walking’ brief. Many ran the entire route, clocking an impressive time over the three quarter marathon distance, while senior members of the Boat Club cut a few corners by travelling on the river rather than alongside it. This enthusiasm amassed a wave of fundraising support, including £4,500 from online donations and a further £1,200 from gift aid.

In assemblies last week, pupils handed over cheques for £3,000 to representatives from each of the five charities. On Tuesday, Tom Nike (fastest junior finisher) and Will Tomkins (charities committee member) presented cheques to the Chiltern Centre and Children on the Edge, respectively.

On Wednesday, it was the turn of Jamie Mottram (charities committee member), Ollie Riley (fastest senior finisher) and Marcus Colao (second fastest finisher) to hand over the money to Gap Africa, Sue Ryder, and the Thames Valley Air Ambulance Association. Will and Jamie were particularly pleased to be involved as they selected these charities to receive support this year.

Children on the Edge Ambassador Euan Clarke described the assembly as a “lovely occasion”, commenting that it was “a pleasure to meet the Shiplake pupils”. Euan continued: “I would like to thank Mr Settle for his generous welcome and kind words.” Gap Africa Chair of Trustees Marcel Wagner was equally grateful, explaining: “Having done the walk myself in the past, I know exactly how much pain can go into accomplishing it. We wish to thank all at Shiplake for the continued support of the Kikunduku Schools Project, which has been going strong since 1994. We all hope that more pupils and staff might, one day, visit the KSP and see it all for themselves.”