Budding entrepreneurs turn £50 donation into ice-cool £900 for hospice

Youth Enterprise fundraisers from Whitworth Community High School have turned a £50 donation into £900 for Rossendale Hospice scooping two awards.

A team of nine students from Year 10 took part in the challenge and had to come up with novel and imaginative ways of managing the donation to raise the most money.

At the presentation evening at AG6 in Rawtenstall, the team were singled out for delivering the Best Presentation and they also received the Fundraiser’s Achievement Award.

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Fran Rainey, 15, said: “We had meetings in form and after school and we thought about doing an ice bucket challenge, we thought it might get rejected but the teachers were all for it.

“It was arranged after school in the courtyard and we selected teachers to take part, and some whom we had not picked came up to us afterwards and asked why didn’t we hadn’t picked them.”

Included in those who got an icy soaking was Headteacher Gill Middlemas.

She said: “Our Youth Enterprise group did a great job in persuading staff to take part and in organising the events and we are really proud of what they have achieved. The water was so cold it took your breath away – especially when it was tipped down the back of your neck!’’

Head of PE Will Cawley was a popular choice and he got five buckets and sponges of ice-cold water thrown at him.

The final presentation of funds raised by the two High School teams taking part in the challenge will be presented on Tuesday April 23 at Alder Grange.

The students also arranged a raffle and a fun glow dodgeball event on the last day of term before Easter.

They arranged for parents to support the fundraisers by being able to donate through ParentPay.

Darcey Ellis, 14, said: “We learned a lot about planning and preparing to run an event. It was also good for teambuilding and we learnt how to manage people.”

They were supported by Computer Science teacher Bilal Hanif and mathematician Ewan Giles.

Fran said: “With the Ice Bucket Challenge, I learnt that I needed to keep a list of who had paid for what so that everyone got their turn. We are very grateful to the teachers for taking part in the fundraiser and it and it was great to work as a team.”