Penny – St Margaret’s Hair Accessories  

Penny (Year 6) decided she wanted to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society in support of one of her classmates, whose Grandfather is suffering with the disease. She explains: “I took old school uniform and used it to make scrunchies and bows which were then sold in the school shop.” Penny knew she needed to think about her designs so people would want to buy them, and she also ensured she used as many recyclable items as possible. “I got to learn a new skill, do a craft project with my mum, I have overcome my fear of the sewing machine and created something useful!” And indeed, she did - Penny’s hair accessories raised around £70 in total, and the St Margaret’s girls are now all modelling Penny’s creations in their hair! Congratulations to Penny who says she feels “proud and happy to help a worthy cause”. 

Emily – 10 mile walk 

Well done to Emily (Year 3) who took on the challenge of walking 10 miles to raise money for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).  Emily wanted to raise funds in support of her favourite endangered animal, the Snow Leopard.  According to the WWF, there are only around 5,000 of these beautiful creatures left in the world, so Emily decided she wanted to do something to support the work of the WWF.  Emily had to rustle up the support of her family and friends to get their sponsorship.  In the end, she raised an impressive £230 and says she felt “happy and proud” having completed her challenge.  Well done Emily! 

Chloe – Little Princess Trust 

Chloe (Year 5) chose to donate her hair to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides real hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their own hair through Cancer or conditions like Alopecia.  Chloe said that she felt quite nervous when her hairdresser cut off her plait in one go and was worried she might not like her new hair cut!  Chloe looks great with her new bob and says: “I feel very proud of myself for taking on this challenge and it has encouraged me to do more for charity in the future.”  Well done Chloe! 

Phoebe – Little Princess Trust 

Phoebe (Year 5) also chose to support the Little Princess Trust and cut off 10cm of her hair which she donated to the charity to make a wig.  She said she also felt nervous about having her hair cut but “excited because I knew I was doing it for charity”.  Afterwards, Phoebe said it was very strange seeing her hair not attached to her head, but she was happy it was being put to such a good cause. Well done Phoebe!  

Prep Swimmers  

In the Spring, 8 of our pupils aged 6-11 worked together to swim 15 kilometres to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity.  Elysia (Year 2), Jess (Year 6), Max (Year 4), Phoebe (Year 4), Samson (Year 6), Sebbie (Year 4), Sophie (Year 5) and Zach (Year 6) took on this combined challenge over the course of March.  Collectively, they swam the 600 lengths required to hit their 15 kilometre goal.  Sophie explained that knowing their swim was supporting young children and babies who needed medical care really motivated her and Max said “I am proud of us all” for raising a hugely impressive £580 for this very valuable cause.  Congratulations to all our swimmers for taking on this challenge together!  

Matilda James – The Big 70 Challenge 

“This challenge was in memory of my Grandad, celebrating what would be his 70th birthday in a positive way – with a themed triathlon.”  Matilda, along with her sister, St Margaret’s Alumni Jemima, swam 70 lengths of a 25-metre swimming pool in 70 minutes, ran 700 metres and completed a 7000m (7km) bike ride - all in one day!  They wanted to raise money for The Head and Neck Cancer Unit at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, which Matilda explained “supported my Grandad for many years.  Without their amazing surgeons, nurses and oncology team, I would not have met my wonderful Grandad and made so many special memories.”  They set themselves a fundraising goal of £300 and created a JustGiving page to share with family and friends.  Matilda persevered through what she describes as the ‘jelly legs’ she experienced on her run, and successfully completed her challenge, raising an amazing £377.50 for a very valuable cause, close to her family’s heart.  We are sure your Grandad would be very proud of you, Matilda!  

Jessica – Little Princess Trust and RSPCA 

Jessica in Year 6 has taken on two philanthropic challenges this year. The first was to donate her hair to the Little Princess Trust and the second was to raise money for the RSPCA.  

She said she loved having long, soft hair and wanted to share it with someone less fortunate and that “animals cannot help themselves in our modern world so we should all help them. First, I had to think long and hard before committing, then I began measuring my hair and cutting off at least thirty centimetres at the hairdressers. Next, I had to post my hair to the Little Princess Trust who turned my beautiful locks into a wonderful wig for a cancer survivor to enjoy. To raise money, we created a JustGiving page and spread the word.”

To support the RSPCA, Jessica and her brother gave their spare time to make lots of cool homemade crafts including picture frames, magnets, stickers, plus awesome pop-its. “I thoroughly enjoyed making things for the RSPCA. It felt really good to present the money to and buy some things from the RSPCA shop in Chippenham.” Jessica was a bit nervous while cutting her hair as she knew that it would take years to grow back again but "it felt incredible to see the money I was raising grow.” Well done to Jessica who raised a total of £402 for her two chosen charities! 

Luana, Polly and Rita – Swim Challenge  

Luana, Polly and Rita (Year 5) decided to take on a sponsored swim and each swim at least 5 kilometres. They did this in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity and in the end, they collectively swam an amazing 30 kilometres! They chose this charity as they wanted to support a cause which helps children and together, they raised an incredible £475 for this very worthwhile cause. The girls said that their challenge was very tiring, but “they kept on pushing” and afterwards, they felt very proud of their achievement and that it was “amazing to help others”.  Well done girls!