How one school raised three times its target
One of the teachers at our small village primary school wanted to help our children become more active and came up with the idea of a Keep Me Healthy day. The teacher (Penny Walker) wanted the fundraiser to be a whole-school event that benefited the wellbeing of all pupils, with each year group taking part in a physical activity linked to their classroom learning. Mrs Walker is my son Oliver’s teacher, so she asked if the Friends of Mawsley School PTA could help organise the fundraising.
As a PTA, we have used the *InvestMyCommunity (IMC) crowdfunding platform for previous fundraisers, so I adapted and updated our page for this new event. I set up pages to publicise and keep track of each year group activity, as well as a leadership board. Our plan was to meet a target of £1,000, half of which would be used by our PTA to pay for an interactive outdoor digital wall screen to engage pupils in activities and games. The other half would go to a charity of the children’s choice (the Animals In Need rescue centre in Irthlingborough).
Our Keep Me Healthy day took place in spring. Each year group completed a danceathon or sponsored walk challenge. Reception pupils took part in a superhero-themed danceathon in the school hall. After each dance, the children received a sticker for their superhero cape.
The next year group up undertook a ‘virtual team walk’ to Hunstanton Beach. Each child walked, ran, skipped or hopped laps of their playground, collecting stickers and completing challenges for every lap they completed.
The year group above had been learning about Ancient Greece, so they were challenged to walk, run, skip or hop around a fitness trail in Mawsley’s eco meadow, roughly equivalent to the two-mile height of Mount Olympus. They also took part in Greek-inspired activities, such as throwing Zeus’ arrow and delivering Hermes’ messages, relay races and archery. The oldest year group had been studying the Chinese Shang Dynasty so they did a virtual walk to Chinatown, Manchester, and back. They walked a total of 500 laps of Mawsley’s recreation ground, with each child attempting to complete 5km. The children also answered questions and riddles on the dynasty.
Lots of parents and guardians came along to support the event – and the IMC platform made it really straightforward for them to donate.
The children were delighted at raising just over £3,000 in total (£2,057 from IMC and the rest from cash donations). As an incentive to boost their fundraising efforts, Mrs Walker pledged to run a mile for every £100 raised. She had to run more than 20 miles in the end!
- Joanne Thornton, Friends of Mawsley School (FOMS), Mawsley, Kettering, Northamptonshire
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