At Wycombe Abbey, giving support to the community – whether global or close to home – is not an afterthought, but an intrinsic part of school life. Charitable involvement is evident everywhere in the school, from bake sales to support house charities and the Sock-Meter showing the number of socks donated to the Central Aid Society, to large-scale events in aid of the main school charity. Some of the charities we support have been with us since the school’s foundation in 1896, while others are chosen each year by the girls themselves. Through their charitable involvement, Wycombe girls become more informed, active and responsible global citizens.

The Charity Committee

Four parents, four members of staff and four girls make up our Charity Committee, which started its work two years ago. The Committee aims to make the school’s giving more personal, tangible and meaningful. The foundation charities we have supported for over a hundred years are reinvigorated; our house fundraising, while always important, now has a greater sense of purpose; our whole school charities are known and supported by all. Instead of trying to give a little to an infinite variety of worthwhile charities, we want to make a real difference to fewer. We especially appreciate the parents’ involvement.

House Charities

Wycombe girls are deeply involved with the school’s charity work. Each House selects a charity to support throughout the year. The girls organise fund-raising activities and hold Chapel appeals, where they make a “pitch” for their particular charity and encourage other girls to give generously; the Sunday chapel collect then goes to that charity. In this way, girls develop their public speaking skills and powers of persuasion while gaining support for their chosen cause.

This year’s house charities work both locally and internationally, and have a wide range of purposes:

Pitt supports Prostate Research Campaign UK (link: http://www.prostateuk.org), the leading charity in the fight against all prostate diseases.

Rubens supports Moretele Sunrise Hospice in South Africa, which attracts visitors from around the world and offers voluntary counselling and testing, orphan and vulnerable children's programmes and respite care.

Airlie supports Mahak Hospital and Rehabilitation Complex (link: http://www.mahak-charity.org) a non-governmental Iranian cancer charity for children. It aims to treat and cure children affected by cancer, and to support the children and their families during this difficult time.

Barry supports Sightsavers International (link: http://www.sightsavers.org), which works to combat blindness in developing countries, restoring sight through specialist treatment and eye care. Sightsavers also supports people who are irreversibly blind by providing education, counselling and training.

Butler supports the Sarah Junior School in Kenya, which aims to help underprivileged children. It was named after Sarah Shucksmith, a Senior from Butler, who helped set up the school.

Campbell supports Honeypot (link: http://www.honeypot.co.uk), a charity dedicated to improving the lives of severely disadvantaged children and young carers in Britain, offering a respite break at the Honeypot House in the New Forest, followed by a long-term programme of support.

Cloister supports the Shelterbox Trust (link: http://www.shelterbox.org), a UK charity providing emergency aid for victims of natural and other disasters.  Since 2001 the charity has helped around 500,000 people in more than 30 different countries, responding to earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis and wars.

Shelburne supports Aylesbury Vale Rape Crisis (link: http://www.avrc.org.uk), a free service providing counselling and support for women affected by sexual assault, rape or child abuse.

Wendover supports the MS Society (http://www.mssociety.org.uk), the UK’s largest charity for people affected by Multiple Schlerosis. The Society funds research, runs respite care centres, and provides grants, education and training on MS.

Clarence supports the Q Trust (link:http://www.muscular-dystrophy.org/fundraising/the_q_trust/), set up in memory of Quentin Crewe, who was an acclaimed author, travel writer, restaurant critic and journalist despite being affected by muscular dystrophy and spending most of his life in a wheelchair. The Q Trust plans to raise £1 million to fight the disease.

Junior House supports Water Aid (link: http://www.wateraid.org/uk), which works in 17 countries and aims to overcome poverty by helping some of the world’s poorest people gain access to water, sanitation and hygiene education.

The Foundation Charities

Our three foundation charities are the Melanesian Mission (link: http://melanesia.anglican.org), the Peckham Settlement (link: http://www.peckhamsettlement.org.uk) and the Central Aid Society (link: http://www.bucksinfo.net/centralaid/).  Our donations contribute to food packs for the Central Aid Society, which was founded by Dame Frances Dove to help people in need in High Wycombe. This year, four Wycombe Abbey sixth-formers are doing their community service with the Society, helping them with administration. At Christmas, we provide for the Peckham Settlement Ladies to visit us for lunch and a performance of the UIII Christmas Entertainment, an occasion both ladies and girls enjoy.

The Melanesian Mission is an Anglican mission supporting the church and local population in Melanesia; our donations last year provided bicycles for the use of the clergy. We are currently holding a book drive for young Melanesian people, and are planning a Melanesian Mission Day on January 13^th to raise further support.

The School Charity

Our School Charity is the Isaiah Trust (link: http://www.isaiahtrust.org/), which has worked for poverty-stricken children on the streets of Kisume, Kenya, since 2001. Their outreach centres provide literacy and numeracy training, counselling and support, as well as a mobile health clinic. Rehabilitation centres help children leave behind glue and alcohol abuse and return to school. The Trust also runs an orphanage and a foster programme, and is working to establish a sustainable food programme.

Two of the most popular events on the Wycombe Abbey calendar, Bonfire Night and the Summer Fête, are held in benefit of the School Charity.

How are we doing?

The 2006-2007 academic year saw Wycombe Abbey charity fundraising going from strength to strength: we raised a total of £42,589, compared to £34,084 for 2005-2006. 45% of this amount went to charities focusing on children’s needs and education.

The chapel appeals and a sponsored Readathon raised nearly £15,000 for the girls’ chosen house charities, over £1,300 were raised for the Foundation Charities, and over £7000 went to the School Charities (the Kopegi School in Uganda in 2006 and the Isaiah Trust in 2007).

The school also held activities and events in aid of a number of other causes – among others, Mufti Days supported the Breast Cancer Campaign and the Teenage Cancer Appeal, proceeds from a tennis tournament and the Upper IV play went to Right To Dream in Ghana, and the school contributed to the Melanesian Tsunami Appeal, Red Nose Day, the Poppy Appeal, Jeans for Genes, Christmas Crisis Appeal and Christian Aid Appeal. In addition to this monetary support comes the girls’ personal involvement in local community work, and material initiatives like the Melanesian book drive.