Senior Houses: 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:

The Resident Tutors cheerfully lose their dignity in a good cause!

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.