Sidcot students walk, run and cycle to raise money during Random Acts of Kindness week

BHS was featured in an article on the website of the Boarding Schools’ Association. Download the article HERE, read it on their website, or below. The article was also featured on the website of the UK Boarding Schools.

Students at Sidcot School took the initiative during Random Acts of Kindness Week to raise money for some well deserving causes. The Sixth Form charity office holders selected one local and one international charity to support and mobilised an impressive fundraising effort.

The students decided to support the Weston and Cheddar Valley food banks and Brumana High School in Lebanon.

Weston and Cheddar Valley food banks provide emergency food to those in need. During the course of the pandemic demand has grown significantly for this service with an increasing number of people reliant on food banks to help feed their families.

The second cause the students chose was one which is close to Sidcot’s heart. Over the last year Sidcot has been partnered with Brumana High School, a fellow Quaker School, in Lebanon. After the devastating explosion that occurred in the city, many people have found themselves facing hardship which has worsened during the course of the pandemic.

The students set the School community the challenge to collectively walk, run or cycle the 4715km distance from Sidcot to Lebanon, with the aim of raising £1,000 in sponsorship.

Over a two-week period, students and staff engaged in friendly competition, logging their distances as they edged closer and closer to reaching the targets.

The final tallies are now in and the School has smashed both of its targets. 5450km was covered over the fortnight which means the School collectively reached the Lebanon and made it a good way back. Thanks to the generous donations £2250 was raised which will be shared between the selected causes.

Sidcot School Headmaster Iain Kilpatrick said: “This fundraising effort has been a fantastically positive and galvanising experience for the School. Whilst during lock down we’ve not been able to be together physically it’s been heartening to know that we can still work together to provide much needed funds to two charities which mean a great deal to the school. Everyone has played their part, with some students clocking more than 100 km’s over the fortnight.”

The Principal at Brumana High School, David Gray, said: “At BHS we are delighted at the burgeoning partnership which is developing with our fellow Quaker school, Sidcot. We are truly humbled by being named as one of the recipients of Sidcot’s Random Acts of Kindness Week and that funds raised will do much to benefit students in the school at a time of desperate national crisis.”