Royal Hospital School raises more than £101,000 in its first-ever Giving Day

Royal Hospital School (RHS) in Holbrook, Ipswich, is delighted to announce it has raised more than £101,998 through its first-ever Giving Day which took place on the 26^th of April.

The Giving Day was held in support of RHS’ Centennial Bursary Campaign, a fundraising initiative to support 100 students with bursaries at the school by its centenary in 2033. Donations were received by 436 alumni, parents, pupils, friends and supporters.

Throughout the day, various activities took place including:

• Cycle to Greenwich and Back, where RHS implemented static bikes on site where volunteers cycled for 15 minutes to half an hour time slot over a 12-hour period with the aim to ‘cycle’ to Greenwich and back, cycling just over 436 miles altogether. School Governor, Adam Kerr, took on the Cycle to Greenwich Challenge solo – cycling for 12 hours.
• An RHS Holbrook Sound Hymnathon. The RHS choir and community sang their favourite hymns. Pupils, parents and alumni were encouraged to nominate a hymn and/or join the choir to sing with them for this challenge. The Holbrook Sound Challenge began at 17:12 (the year the school was founded) and was completed at 19:33 (the year the school moved to Holbrook).

Pupils and staff gave their Giving Day Pledge, inspired by an assembly delivered by the Philanthropy Committee. A favourite pledge from a pupil: “My Giving Day 2020 Pledge is to volunteer my time more to help those in need and to get involved in more charity work”

Simon Lockyer, Headmaster at RHS, commented on the success of its first ever Giving Day: “We have really enjoyed hearing and sharing stories from our pupils, alumni, staff, friends and supporters. It is a reminder of the long history of support that RHS has provided to individuals and families and my hope is that this will continue long into the future.”

Parents of Year 10 and Year 13 pupils at RHS also commented: "The bursary we have so generously received for my children’s education at RHS has had such a beneficial effect on their academic attainment and character. At RHS they have really developed into well-rounded and adjusted young people of whom I am so proud.

“Indeed, they have made close friendships with pupils based in the UK and international pupils across a wide spectrum of backgrounds. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity my children have been given by Greenwich Hospital and RHS to attend such a fantastic school.”

Further information can be found on the Giving Day website here.