Pocklington School pupils raise £7165 for charities as they continue the tradition of ‘giving back’

Pupils at Pocklington School continued the philanthropic aims of its founder John Dolman by raising £7165 for charities this year, as well as spending time helping in the local community.

A Charity Week filled with fundraising activities organised by the pupils themselves, followed by a sponsored 16-mile/25.7-km school walk during the summer term, raised money for charities the pupils had chosen to support.

Each House selected an individual charity to support and cheques have been sent to The Stroke Association (supported by Hutton House); St Leonard’s Hospice (supported by Dolman House); Andrew's Hedgehog Hospital (supported by Gruggen House) and Water Aid (supported by Wilberforce House).

Headmaster Mark Ronan said: ‘I am proud of the thought and effort our pupils put into choosing the charities they wished to raise money for, as well as their enthusiastic approach to both the student-led Charity Week activities and the School Walk. We encourage our pupils to make a positive difference beyond the school gates – an attitude which I hope will remain with them for life.’

John Dolman, a lawyer and clergyman, founded Pocklington School in 1514 to inspire children from the local parish to help forge a better life for themselves. Although society has moved on considerably since then, the Pocklington School Foundation remains focused on making a useful contribution to the local community. Its sixth form students carry out weekly local ‘community action’ activities including: tending war graves; supporting young readers at local schools; helping elderly residents and volunteering at charity shops.