As a local Sussex children’s charity, we are lucky enough to have lots of support from local schools, with young people raising money to help their contemporaries throughout the county.
And one of these schools is celebrating an amazing decade of fundraising for Rockinghorse.
St Christopher’s Prep School in Hove, part of the Brighton College Family of Schools, has been a proud supporter of ours since 2016 as part of their House system. This divides students and staff into different Houses that help foster a sense of community, friendly competition, and pastoral care.
Each of the Houses in St Christopher’s has a different animal logo (like Hogwarts!) and each year they compete against each other to raise the most money for their chosen charity. Whilst the other Houses have supported a variety of local causes over the years, Drake Badgers House have stayed with Rockinghorse throughout, raising over £10,000 in total.
Part of the reason for their continued support comes from the children themselves. When shown a picture of the Royal Alex and asked, “Who has ever had to spend time here?”, the number of hands that go up in a House Meeting is always over 50% of the room, and in some years even higher.
The children agree that it is great to support a charity that has a direct effect on their own lives, and those of children across our city. Asking “Why did you have to go there?” is always a sensitive question, but one that the children are brilliant at explaining, and explaining in ways that even the youngest children in Reception can understand.
“I fell off my bike and broke my leg”, “My asthma was bad and I needed a machine to help me breathe”, or “I was allergic to something, and they had to find out what it was.” Perhaps our favourite reason involved Robert, who had to have one of his little sister’s Barbie shoes removed from his nostril!
The choice to support Rockinghorse was also a natural one for Housemaster Chris Holt, who is approaching his quarter century at St Christopher’s. Born eight weeks prematurely in 1978, his Consultant at the Sussex County Hospital Baby Unit was Dr Trevor Mann, who founded Rockinghorse in 1967, and after whom the premature baby unit in Brighton is named.
Mr Holt’s connection to Rockinghorse continued in the 1980s, when he developed a rare kidney condition that required long stays in the old Royal Alex up at Seven Dials. One stay was so long that he read every book in the hospital library, which was admittedly smaller in those days.
Fate intervened again ten years ago, when he moved house and found himself living next door to Dr Kamal Patel, one of the surgeons at the new Royal Alex. Dr Patel kindly recorded some videos to show St Christopher’s pupils the kind of equipment and resources that their fundraising has helped towards. These short films were very well received when House Meetings took place via Zoom as part of St Christopher’s online learning during Covid.
But how have St Christopher’s children raised all this money over the years?
For many years, the major fundraising event was their annual Sponsored Run along Hove seafront, all the way from Rockwater to the Peace Statue and back. The youngest children in Pre-Prep also took part, but they walked the route and stopped for ice cream along the way!
The annual House Celebration Day sees the children swap out as many items of school uniform as possible for clothing in their House colour (red for the Badgers) in return for a donation.
St Christopher’s Carol Service at All Saints Church sees this magnificent venue full to capacity each year, and House
Captains and Prefects are on duty with the collection buckets at the end. At Rockinghorse, we look forward to our annual invite to this lovely event in the run up to Christmas.
Bake Sales, Readathons, Own Clothes Days, and many other events have also taken place over the years to support fundraising. Sometimes, support for Rockinghorse has been as simple as the younger children colouring in medal certificates for people taking part in the Rockinghorse Relay at Brighton’s Sea Lanes last September.
The school has publicised the Half Marathon Youth Race, of which Rockinghorse is a charity partner, with several children already signed up, and staff member Miss Watson (proud member of Drake Badgers House) will be running the Brighton Half Marathon in March in support of Rockinghorse.
In the past, the school has operated as a water station and Division HQ for the full Brighton Marathon, with several staff and parents past and present running for Rockinghorse.
The St Christopher’s Parents’ Association holds a Summer Fair each year with the proceeds from the raffle and silent auction going to the four House Charities. The children write formal letters – in their neatest handwriting – to local businesses and celebrities, asking for donations. There have been some very impressive items up for grabs over the years, including a much-coveted pair of boots owned by BHAFC legend Bruno. Last year alone, the raffle raised £2000, split between the four House Charities.
As part of the Brighton College Family of Schools, St Christopher’s also takes part in Make A Difference Day (MADD) each year. This sees children from all of the schools active in their local community, with lessons abandoned in favour of supporting good causes across our city and beyond.
This year’s MADD is on 23 April, and Drake Badgers House are already in discussion with Rockinghorse as to how they might be able to help this year.
As part of their partnership with us, the school regularly welcomes representatives to the school to present assemblies, join House Meetings, and attend events. Over the years, a firm friendship has developed. When Emma, our Supporter Engagement Manager and current St C’s Rockinghorse rep, had her baby in December, Drake Badgers House Captain Hattie organised a handmade card signed by all the children in the House, and searched out a suitable cuddly badger toy online for Mr Holt to order.
Elizabeth Lyle, Head of St Christopher’s, says “I am proud that St Christopher’s children understand the importance of giving to others, and supporting the vital work of charities in our city.
“Our children appreciate that charity can be a donation of their time and effort, as well as simply financial. We are so lucky to have such a well renowned children’s hospital in our city, and Rockinghorse do amazing work to support it. I have told Drake Badgers House how proud I am of their decade of fundraising. Here’s to the next ten years!”
If your school is interested in supporting a local charity, why not get in touch with our Fundraising Manager Jules to have a chat through the different ways you can get involved. Just email her at jules@rockinghorse.org.uk
