To view this press release as a PDF, click here.
On Tuesday 18th July and Wednesday 19th July 2017, students and staff at The Bishop of Llandaff Church-in-Wales High School will join forces to put on the biggest fundraising event in the school’s history. The two main events are a live radio show for thirty-six hours, and Sophie’s Tea Trek, a challenge for Sophie Lewis, a student in year 12, to visit thirty-six coffee shops and cafés, to consume thirty-six cups of tea within the thirty-six hours of the event!
The event is primarily raising funds for three charities which work with children and young people who have a hidden difficulty, such as a continence problem, struggling to be accepted because of their sexuality or gender, and having difficulty with their mental health. The three main charities are ERIC, Mind, and Stonewall Cymru. ERIC is the Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity, helping the one in twelve children and young people in the UK who suffer from a bladder or bowel problem. Mind is the mental health charity, providing advice and support to the one in four of us who will experience a mental health problem every year. Stonewall Cymru’s mission is to achieve legal equality and social justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people in Wales, including eradicating homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in schools, because nearly half of LGBT pupils (45 per cent) – including 64 per cent of trans pupils – are bullied for being LGBT in Britain’s schools. More information, and a full list of causes, can be found here.
SeB Cheer, year 13 student and event manager, said, “I enjoy a good challenge. Setting up the school’s radio station in September was a challenge, but it’s been so much fun and opened quite a few doors for quite a few people who volunteer on the team. It’s a great platform to use to run this event.
“I’ve loved my seven years in this school, and this will hopefully be a great way to go out with a bang!”
Revd. Gareth Rayner-Williams, assistant headteacher, added, “’Faith, hope and charity’ are reckoned, by St. Paul, to be the only lasting virtues but ‘charity’, Paul said, is the greatest of all three. So what better way to deepen our lives than to spend 36 hours together focusing on raising money for charitable causes and having fun along the way?!
“Join in – it’s going to be great!”
Sophie Lewis, year 12 student, said of her tea-drinking trek, “I love a variety of teas, and I want to broaden my horizons in the tea world, so I’m hoping I’ll find some really interesting flavours and blends!
“I also think that doing good for charities is really important, so this challenge is a great combination of the two.”
The thirty-six-hour live broadcast will begin at 8am on Tuesday 18th July 2017 and end at 8pm on Wednesday 19th July 2017, and you will be able to listen to it at bishopofllandaff.wordpress.com/bolfundraising36.
You can keep up with an Instagram Story of Sophie’s Tea Trek: follow @SophiesTeaTrek on Instagram.
You will be able to donate online here.
You can get in touch at any time during the event via Twitter, using @BOLHS_Radio and #BOLFundraising36, or by emailing RadioStation@bishopofllandaff.org.