The Spring term was a busy one for all Wilson’s students, not least the Charities Committee, who worked hard to plan and deliver a number of exciting fundraising events to raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which was selected in the Autumn term by students from all year groups as our charity of the year.

In the first half term of the Spring term, the Committee hosted an inter-year group dodgeball match. The Year 7s took on the Year 8s, the Year 9s challenged the Year 10s, the Year 11s bravely faced the Year 12s, and students from both years of the Sixth Form took on the Teachers' team. The event was well attended by students and staff from across the school, who each made a donation to spectate the matches and cheer on their friends. The players themselves contributed more than just their time and athleticism to the cause, gaining sponsorship money that further raised the total made at this event. The Committee would like to thank everyone who took part in this event and to congratulate those of you that were victorious on the court.

On the penultimate Friday of the Spring term, Wilson’s hosted a non-uniform day; this was a joint venture between the Charities Committee and the Equalities Committee where both staff and students were invited to wear cultural dress to school should they wish. The day was an incredible success, with many members of the school community attending in cultural dress, and with even more making donations to the fundraising total. The opportunity to wear cultural dress was a suggestion from a recent Student Board meeting and it was wonderful to see this request realised for a charitable opportunity.

There are even more events planned for the summer term to raise further funds for The Royal Marsden. Students are auditioning this week to participate in Wilson’s Got Talent, which will take place on Thursday, 4 May, with students from all year groups dazzling the audience with talents ranging from musical performances through to stand-up comedy and even magic tricks. The Committee would like to wish good luck to all the students auditioning and to remind everyone else to mark the date in their dairy and set aside some change for their entry fee.

On Sunday, 23 April, Miss Roberts is running the TCS London Marathon to raise money for The Royal Marsden. This will be Miss Roberts’ first marathon and she is aiming to finish the 26.2 mile run in around four and a half hours. If you would like to sponsor her and contribute to the overall fundraising total for the Wilson’s Charities Team this year, please do so using this link.

Finally, a group of 25 students and 15 staff members are participating in The Marsden March on Sunday, 14 May, when they will walk 15 miles from Chelsea to Sutton between the two Royal Marsden hospitals. Staff and students are already practising their long-distance walking and the sponsorship donations are rolling in. If you would like to sponsor the Wilson’s team and contribute to the overall fundraising total for the Wilson’s Charities Team this year, please do so using this link.

Thank you to every member of the school community who has contributed to our fundraising efforts so far this year. Whilst the exact count has yet to be determined, the fundraising total so far is well above £5,000, a number we can all be proud of. We look forward to providing you with an update summarising all of our efforts at the end of the year.