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A2 Charities Day raises record sum to build a school in Cambodia

The A2 Charities Day took place last weekend and bore witness to a host of fundraising events in aid of United World Schools (UWS). Organised by the Heads of School, along with support from the prefects, they set themselves an ambitious target to raise – £29,000 – to enable UWS to build a school for 200 children in Cambodia.

Despite this ambitious target, they outdid themselves by raising in excess of £50,000, an achievement which far exceeds any other fundraising event in the school's history. The new school will become Bryanston’s legacy school and will be run by UWS as part of its programme to improve the life opportunities of some of the world’s poorest children through education.

Speaking after the event, Sara Furness, Associate Director for Partnerships at United World Schools, said:

“We are, quite simply, blown away by the support, enthusiasm and generosity of the pupils and staff of Bryanston School.

“The passion and planning for the fundraising drive was truly inspirational. The original target was £29,000, which everyone acknowledged would be extremely challenging. To exceed this ambitious target by such a huge margin is a remarkable achievement and a credit to everyone within the Bryanston community. Thanks to this fantastic effort, we will now be able to build and support a school that will transform life opportunities for up to 200 children in a rural community in Cambodia. 

“The impact of this project will be felt for generations to come, and so on behalf of UWS and the community that will benefit from the new school, we have to say a very big thank you to everyone involved – especially Zey, Cam and their fellow pupils at Bryanston.”

Across the weekend, pupils and staff were involved in a range of events from the Dance Show and A2 parents’ lunch to the dog show, silent auction and photography exhibition. Over 500 pupils, as well as teaching and support staff, undertook a wide range of ambitious challenges in a new initiative for this year – the Whole School Challenge. These included rowing the Atlantic on an indoor rowing machine, swimming the equivalent distance to crossing the English Channel and climbing Mt Snowdon.

Head, Sarah Thomas, commented: “The success of the event is an enormous testament to the leadership of the Heads of School. They have set the bar exceptionally high and delivered a wonderful and diverse weekend. Huge credit to them.

“It was also incredibly heartening to see the support from the rest of the school. Everyone contributed to the weekend, whether it was taking part in a challenge, sponsoring a fellow pupil or simply supporting their peers behind the scenes.

“Thanks must also go to our teaching and support staff who gave their time generously, and our parents who helped by donating or bidding on items in the silent auction or supported the various events throughout the weekend.”

Image of pupils at the top of Mt Snowden  Image of pupil playing the violin

Image of pupils on the climbing wall  Image of pupils on rowing machines