Students raise almost £40,000 for Social Action Week

Social Action Week at Hills Road is an annual event where Year 12s work in groups to raise as much money as possible for charities of their choosing, and this year students have given more than just their time to this fantastic event.

SAW 2023

Well done! This is an incredible achievment!

We have seen some of the most creative, ambitious and exciting ideas for fundraising; students have also devised new and powerful ways of engaging with their communities to encourage donations that make a real difference to so many in need.

Our Year 12s raised almost £40,000 for local and international causes! Here are just some of the examples of what they got up to...

One group washed staff cars for £10 each to raise money for Choose Love, a charity which supports refugees around the world. Another team of students, Hills Road River Cleanup, went further afield to support their chosen charity by picking up litter along the river Cam. Their aim was to not only help the local community and environment but to support Water Aid’s mission to provide clean water and sanitation to everyone.

Friends of Mercy Ships walked 28 kilometers (about 17.4 mi) to raise awareness for their charity of the same name. Mercy Ships has provided lifesaving care to millions of people in over 50 countries. The organisation aims to bring a state-of-the-art hospital to regions where clean water, electricity and medical facilities and personnel are limited or nonexistent.

We’ve received such positive feedback from staff, students, charities and members of the public.

Another round of applause is deserved for all our first place winners in the following categories: Most Creative went to the group of students called Footprint Fighters. Project Most Linked to Cause was won by Steps 4 Grenfell. The Group Showing Most Teamwork was received by Sustainable Shore Society, Red Hen Book Sale took the Best Presentation prize, Lab Rat Legends won Best Social Media Campaign and Hills Road Sleep Out got the award for Most Money Raised.

Well done everyone for all your hard work last week. This is a fantastic achievement and something to truly be proud of. We can’t wait to see what innovative ideas students come up with for #hillsoscialaction in 2024.

Without exception, Hills Road students are an absolute credit to your college, they spoke intelligently, engagingly and passionately about their projects. I just wanted to say what a terrific public representative for your college they were."

Member of the public

Students raised a phenomenal £39,906.32 this is truly amazing and several charities have already been in touch to tell us how thankful they are. This money will be enormously helpful to them.

Sara Macfarlane, Organiser of Social Action Week.