09 December, 2022

Community Action concludes with a bang

UCS pupils have taken part in a series of student-led activities and challenges to successfully complete a six-week programme of fundraising called Community Action.

The second half of the Autumn Term at UCS is always dedicated to fundraising for a set of charities chosen annually by the pupil body, who then plan and participate in an imaginative range of events under the Community Action banner. While these ingenious activities run throughout November and early December, they reach a pinnacle during the concluding week.

The programme is more marathon than sprint, but this year’s climactic sequence – between 5th and 9th December – included a 5km ‘Run in the Dark’ at the school fields and a ‘Relay-Triathlon’ at UCS’s Frognal site, along with a teachers’ talent show, movie night, treasure hunt and literature-themed non-uniform day – in which the Headmaster, Mr Beard, took part.

Community Action Coordinator, Miss Alborn, paid tribute to the generosity of spirit infusing pupils’ fundraising efforts. “From guessing the number of sweets in a jar to a mufti day, from five-a-side football to a teacher talent contest, from baking cakes to selling pizzas, everyone has played their part to make a success of this year’s Community Action initiative,” she said.

With support from Miss Alborn and teaching colleagues Mr Enemuwe and Ms Lewis, students devised, advertised and delivered on their projects, with designated groupings of Senior School pupils – namely, Year 7 (Entry), Year 8 (Shell), the six Houses (Demes) each containing pupils from Years 9 to 13, and the Sixth Form Union – all directing considerable energy and enthusiasm towards raising money for their respective charitable causes as part of the whole-school campaign.

“The level of responsibility taken by the House Captains in spearheading all of this endeavour has been impressive to witness, and the Lower School’s creativity and passion have exemplified the resourceful nature of UCS pupils,” added Miss Alborn. The chosen charities for Community Action 2022 were:

Year 7: Secondary1st, breast cancer charity
Year 8: Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal
Baxters House: Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Pakistan Appeal
Black Hawkins House: Child Poverty Action Group
Evans House: Choose Love, refugee charity
Flooks House: Malala Fund, advocates for girls education
Olders House: Macmillan Cancer Support
Underwoods House: Evelina Children’s Heart Organisation
Sixth Form Union: Rainbow Migration, for LGBTQI+ asylum/immigration

Community Action is our annual fundraising initiative in which pupils run a vast range of events throughout the second half of Autumn Term to raise money for charities chosen by the students themselves. This is a great opportunity to give back to our community and become aware of many issues that people face both in Britain and around the world. Minnat, Year 13 pupil

Lower School pupils planned, organised and staged events to raise money for these deserving charities. My group baked and ran a homemade cake stall. There were also a popular ‘Sponge the Teacher’ event, teachers’ ‘Baby Face’ competition and treasure hunt. Community Action is a great opportunity to apply the UCS learning values, as all activities require resilience, resourcefulness, relationships and a sense of responsibility to run successfully. I have really enjoyed taking part and have lots of ideas for future fundraising. Jonah, Year 8 pupil

After two years of social distancing, masks and limited in-person gatherings, Community Action came back with a bang this autumn. The six Demes, Sixth Form Union and Lower School all chose a charity to fundraise for, organising a series of events during the second half of term. The chosen causes were diverse in their aims. There were continuous activities across these six weeks of effort and ingenuity but, really, far too many events to mention, which is a credit to the incredible passion and enthusiasm of our pupils and teachers in making this one of the most memorable Community Actions ever. Adam, Year 13 pupil

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