Students and staff from the Oak Academy present £2,000 to their charity of the year, Ashley’s Birthday Bank. From left to right: Students Samantha and Tanner; Jo Kennedy and Alix Farenden of Ashley’s Birthday Bank; Executive Principal of Oak Academy, Gill Blanshard; and Oak teacher and organiser of the Colour Run fundraiser, Claire Gover
Students at a Bournemouth school have taken a local children’s charity to their hearts and have raise thousands of pounds to support it.
The Oak Academy in West Howe has adopted Ashley’s Birthday Bank, which helps underprivileged children across East Dorset, as its charity for the year.
And the charity’s cause has so moved Oak’s students that they achieved their largest single fundraising total of £2,000 when they held a sponsored ‘colour run’ for the good cause.
The school invited charity trustees Alix Farenden and Jo Kennedy to receive this impressive donation.
Alix, who founded the charity last December, said: “We are absolutely overwhelmed by the generosity of the students at Oak Academy.
“Their donation will help to make a huge difference to the lives of so many children in East Dorset.
“Thanks to their support a child from an underprivileged background will now receive a Christmas present and families in crisis will be provided with food, clothing and equipment.”
Ashley’s Birthday Bank was launched to ensure underprivileged children experience the joy of receiving birthday or Christmas presents.
It also runs a crisis service offering local children and families clothing, toys, nappies, toiletries, food and equipment in an emergency situation.
The charity also supports local women’s refuges and mother and baby units for teenage mums.
Executive Principal of the Oak Academy, Gill Blanshard, said: “We are delighted to support Ashley’s Birthday Bank as our charity for the year.
“They do such tremendous work for local children and families, relying solely on donations and the goodwill of people.
“The fact we raised our biggest ever single total in a fundraising event shows the tremendous generosity of our students for the community they live in.”
For more information about Ashley’s Birthday Bank go to www.ashleysbirthdaybank.org
