Oakham Students Raise £4,000 for Matt Hampson Foundation

Eight Year 12 students from Oakham School have raised an impressive £4,000 for the Matt Hampson Foundation after hosting a successful charity evening.

Held at the Foundation’s Get Busy Living Centre, the event welcomed over 60 guests for an evening of fine dining, games, a raffle, and an auction. Attendees also heard an inspiring talk on resilience from Henry Dunn and learned more about the Foundation’s vital work supporting those with life-changing injuries.

The sixth form students are taking part in a year-long leadership programme in collaboration with the Matt Hampson Foundation, mentored by rugby legend Dan Hipkiss. Their challenge: to fundraise while developing teamwork, leadership, and project management skills.

Year 12 students Eugenie and Oli shared their reflections on the experience:

Oli: “The part I enjoyed the most was being the auctioneer at the auction. This is because it was a challenge to myself that I had never done before. I was nervous at the start, but it quickly turned into great fun getting people to bid against each other and raise money for the charity.”

“The most challenging part was collecting the auction items as we had to reach out to a number of companies and ask them to donate an item free of charge and with good will. That said, MHF is a great charity so everybody we asked was willing to be generous with their donations.”

Eugenie: “I enjoyed most of all talking to and meeting different people. Not just on the night but also leading up to it since we had to reach out to so many people for help or prizes or even to invite them.”

“The most challenging part was working as a group. We all had different ideas and skills sets, so it was all about listening to each other, communicating, and compromising.”

After holding such a successful event, what’s next in store for the students in the Matt Hampson scheme?

Oli: “In truth, I have no idea what’s next as Dan likes to surprise us with the next challenge. Whatever it is, it will no doubt be interesting and fun.”

Eugenie: “Next, we’ll probably be working with Dan on different life skills, teamwork, and documenting this in our journals. I’d also like to so some fundraising by myself but I’m not sure what yet!”

A huge thank you to the MHF team for hosting the event, Samworths for donating the food, and to everyone who attended and donated their time and money so generously.

Discover more about our Charity and Community initiatives and how our pupils are making a difference locally.