Interview with the Heads of School: A2 Charities Day

Every year the Heads of School choose a charity and work with their team of prefects to organise a number of activities to help raise money for their chosen cause. This year is no different, and we caught up with Poppy and Rohan in the build-up to the busy weekend ahead to find out more about the day itself.

The Charities Day is a big event in the school calendar. What have you got planned for this year?
This year we have tried to fit in a lot of events in the programme to make sure there is something for everyone throughout the day. We have the ever-successful dog show with a couple of new categories added; tea and scones accompanied by the fabulous Hannah M; a fashion show; a Queen tribute concert; and of course the silent auction! On top of this, we have some more events for the pupils later in the evening too, so we are hoping it will be an enjoyable day for all involved.

What made you choose this year’s charity?
We selected African Vision Malawi for a couple of reasons. Rohan is (hopefully!) studying medicine next year, so was fascinated by the idea of a medical project, and Poppy wanted to work with children, so we tried to find something that combined our interests. Poppy’s grandmother grew up in Malawi, so upon finding out about African Vision Malawi we were both personally invested in it, and after finding out a bit more about the charity’s previous successes, and about this project in particular, we were set.

You have clearly been very busy organising Sunday’s events; what have you enjoyed most about the process?
There have been a few things that we have enjoyed while organising the day. Working collaboratively with all our friends to channel everyone’s skills towards an incredible cause has been fun, but learning about Malawi has also been both important and eye-opening. Learning about specifically M’ban’ombe, where the project we are supporting is based, and realising the full extent of the impact we can have, even from so far away, has been a highlight.

With so many activities throughout the day, which one are you most excited about?
There is a lot to choose from throughout the day but of course we’re very excited to see a bunch of waggy tails at the dog show! Another event we are excited about is the one-off Queen tribute concert, which we know the band have been working endlessly on.

Overall the day should be a lot of fun and we look forward to seeing you all there. If you visit our A2 Charities Day page you can see the full programme and donate through the links.