Oakham School pupils have done their school proud by raising more than £12,000 for local and national charities through 2021.

Over the course of the year, pupils and staff have led various fundraising projects for important causes which totalled £12,070.77 in donations.

Through this they have supported timely campaigns such as the Poppy Appeal and Macmillan Coffee Morning, as well as reaching out to local, Oakham based charities closer to home.

Worldwide fundraising projects have also taken place this year including donations to schools in Kenya and Nepal. £5,000 has been raised for the Kenya Schools Project, which (Covid permitting) usually sees pupils take part in a Kenyan expedition to work in schools and build and refurbish classrooms.

The School's long relationship with Annapurna Junior High School in Nepal continued this year, with Upper School pupils continuing to raise vital funds for teachers and resources which are so desperately needed.

The School Houses also played host to several bake sales across the year, with pupils making and selling sweet treats to pupils and staff for a variety of fantastic causes and charities.

Pupils also continued their affiliation with Phab, a charity which inspires and supports disabled and non-disabled children, young people and adults. For this, the Oakham community came together to host an exciting day of activities for local groups including Aiming High and The Rutland Disabled Youth Forum.

Chris West-Sadler, Head of Voluntary Action at Oakham School, said: "In what has been a difficult year for many again in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are very proud of how our pupils have managed to lift spirits and give back to their local community.

"Supporting charities is very close to our hearts at Oakham School and we strive to work for these important causes and to support their outreach project.

"Whilst it is great for charities to receive financial donations to support their causes, the time our pupils spend volunteering is vital and teaches them a valuable lesson in giving something back through hard work and their personal time."

Pupils spent more than 40 hours volunteering in 2021, with activities including litter picking around Oakham, working with Rutland Foodbank and painting fences at a local primary school.

Other activities to highlight include a campaign from Form 7 pupil Ili, who made 200 Valentine cards for the children in Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe and dropped them off with some lollipops to help cheer them up over the pandemic.

Form 6 pupil Jono also led his own charity fundraising activity and ran 10 km a day over two weeks to raise money and awareness for Neuroendocrine Cancer UK, raising £2,750.

Many of the major trips and expeditions put on for School have a charitable element to them, meaning that all pupils have multiple opportunities to make a valuable difference throughout their Oakham journey.

Find out more about Charity Fundraising at Oakham School, and get inspired finding out how you can get involved too!