Complex needs school hosts community day to raise prom funds

A complex needs school in Lynn held a ‘community day’ in order to raise funds for its leavers’ prom through a funfair packed with activities.Churchill Park Academy hosted the event on Friday, June 28 to raise awareness of complex needs and the support available, alongside the fundraising for the Year 11 prom, which took place last week.The school supports year groups from primary through secondary to sixth form, offering both education and support for the students, families and communities surrounding them.

Students, teachers, parents, grandparents, neighbours and West Norfolk mayor Cllr Paul Bland attended the day and £1,000 was raised.Assistant head teacher Jade Collinge Long organised the event, but it was the students who hosted the various fundraising activities.Some of these included the Year 10 and 11s’ pay-to-play mini games such as hoop throwing, hook-a-duck and guessing the number of sweets in a jar.

The day was split into two sections for the children to ensure everyone got involved. Key Stages 3 and 4 joined by sixth form students ran the majority of the events, with Key Stages 1 and 2 helped from 10am until 2.30pm.Key Stage 4 staff members Clare Eke, Karen Lloyd, Ben Austin, Donna Brown and Julie Bunkle also helped to run the event. The school also served homemade cakes of “every flavour” – and Miss Collinge Long said there was “barely any left over” by the end of the day.

Some of the students also ran a cafe and hosted a tombola, while donations from Sandringham helped make a raffle successful as well.It was an all-day event and people of all ages and abilities attended.Miss Collinge Long said: “I want to say a massive thank you to the Lions Rotary Club for their donations, the staff of Churchill Park for making or bringing things for the raffle and tombola, the support of the students’ parents and the contributions of Sandringham.”

She added: “The community day was really, really successful. It was an opportunity to involve parents and carers and celebrate communities of complex needs. “We want to raise awareness for the 24-hour support offered to the children and their parents.”This was the second year that the Lynn school has hosted a community day, with hopes to hold many more in the future.

The money raised from the event went towards the Year 11 leavers’ prom, and any excess will go towards school trips and future activities.Reporting by Beatrice Feaviour

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