Oswestry school raises £30k in 24 hours for new performing arts centre - here's what it will look like
A 24-hour fundraising event at a school in Oswestry has raised more than £30,000 for an ambitious project to create a Performing Arts Centre.
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The ‘Non-Stop! Charity Challenge’ 24-hour effort took place recently at Oswestry School, in Upper Brook Street, and involved pupils, staff, parents and past pupils who joined forces to take on a range of challenges to raise sponsorship cash.
Members of the Oswestry School Performing Arts Academy, which includes pupils from over 21 local schools, also took part in the event which raised a total of £30,686.
They were raising funds towards an ambitious £1.5 million appeal to create a multi-functional performing arts centre at Oswestry School for both the school and community use. Planning permission for the facility was granted by Shropshire planners last summer.
Headmaster Peter Middleton led the challenge by running the distance from Oswestry to Telford (50k or 31 miles) on a treadmill in just four hours while English teacher Will Taylor undertook a similar gruelling challenge by walking the Offa’s Dyke path from Prestatyn to Oswestry School, a distance of 80k (50 miles), in just over 24 hours.
He walked through the night, stopping only for a two-hour power nap en route, to ensure he made it back to school on time.
Becca Hollywell, a former pupil and now sports teacher at Oswestry School, took on an Olympic level triathlon to raise funds for the event. She completed a 1.5k swim, 40k on the spin bike and a 10k run on a treadmill in just a few hours.
The Performing Arts Centre fundraising target is £1.5 million but the school has already raised more than half of the target amount thanks to several generous donations and other fundraising efforts.
Oswestry School development and fundraising manager Anna Evans said she was delighted with the success of the school’s 24-hour challenge event.
Anna said: “The Non-Stop! Challenge proved what a fantastic and supportive community we have at Oswestry School. This event showcased the belief and support our school community has for the Performing Arts Centre project as hundreds of people got involved in the 24-hour challenge.
“This facility will enhance opportunity in the arts for our pupils, our town and community, by providing a fantastic space for performances, exhibitions, events and so much more to happen.”
The next fundraising event takes place on Saturday, May 10 when successful singer and former Oswestry School pupil, Libby Gliksman performs an evening of songs by Adele.
The event takes place in the Drama Studio at Oswestry School from 7pm and is open to all - £5 entry on the door. For more details of this event email anna.evans@oswestryschool.com.
