On Thursday 1 May and Friday 2 May, we held our first ever Giving Day! Over a 30-hour period, Giving Day united our Shiplake community with a series of challenges, activities, and events – both at the College and online for our overseas parents and Old Vikings.
Giving Day was extra special because the first £X in funds raised were matched pound for pound by a generous donor, so every gift made was doubled! This year, we were raising funds for transformational bursaries, as well as the new Sixth Form Centre which is set to open in September 2025.
Everyone was invited to join our whole school community challenge: Strive for 65! Pupils, OVs, staff members, and current/former parents were encouraged to complete just 30 minutes of sport or physical activity during Giving Day to help us reach our goal of 65,000 minutes of sport. On the Friday, there were activities open for all to get involved with including yoga, boxercise, a dog walk, and a morning river run. Additionally, we held a community quiz night on the Thursday which was well attended.
At the College, there was plenty going on with each House setting their own challenge for Strive for 65. Upon completion, each challenge unlocked a further £500 for the Giving Day pot, and we were delighted to see all Houses completing what they set out to do!
- Burr House: Mario Kart and Pool tournament
- Everett House: 5km run
- Orchard House: Stepathon; three-peak challenge
- Skipwith House: Dartathon; scoring 65000 points in 30 hours
- Welsh House: 30-hour cyclathon
- Gilson House: Gilson vs staff rounders match
- College House: Rowathon + OV Henley Royal Regatta row
- Lower School: Table tennis tournament
There were further additional challenges and activities with pupils climbing Ben Nevis on our climbing wall, completing an army challenge on Front Field, or taking part in sports fixtures or lunchtime activities – all contributing to the Strive for 65 challenge!
In total, an incredible £82300 was raised through donations, challenge funds, and match funding. We also smashed our initial target of 100 donors by achieving 217 donors as of Wednesday 14 May; thank you to everyone who donated so generously!
