'We raise £2,000 each year with our staff vs parents football match'

King Athelstan Primary School brought together the whole school with some friendly competition

 
'Like many schools, most of our events have been very female-heavy in terms of organisation, help and attendance. I wanted to create an event that would get more men involved in fundraising, which is how I came up with our staff vs parents and carers football match.

We held our first event two years ago. We started planning around two months before the event, booking a local football pitch and getting players to sign up and seek sponsorship. We encouraged women to get involved, too, but the majority of players were men.

The event was held on a Saturday in March, starting at 10am. We had around 18 parent players and more than 100 attendees. We ran football skills activities for the children at half-time, including beat-the-goalie and dribbling challenges, and we boosted profits by selling drinks and cakes, and running a lucky dip.

Primarily, this was a community-building event, but we also set up a parent sponsorship page. We raised more than £2,000 in total, which has helped to revamp our outdoor areas.

This event was - and continues to be - a great opportunity to show the children the importance of maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. The match is always exciting and it's great for pupils to see their teachers having fun. After the game we go to a nearby pub for lunch, which is a great opportunity for families and staff to get to know each other better.

We are very proud of this event, not only because it has so far proved to be a successful fundraiser, but also because it brings the school together. It has become an important date in our diary, and we recently held out third annual match - with the staff winning for the third time in a row!'

Louisa Macdonald, PCSA Co-chair, King Athelstan Primary School, Kingston upon Thames, London (450 pupils)

 

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