Caring students from a WNAT school are gearing up once more for the Marshland Pink Ladies Charity Run, where they hope to raise £2,000 for their chosen charity.

The runners from Years 7 to 11 at Marshland High School are all members of the school’s Pink Ladies and Mixed Hockey Squads, and will be taking part in the King’s Lynn 5K Park Run on 4 July, in support of the Fenland Women’s Refuge.

It will be the twelfth time the Pink Ladies event has taken place, with an impressive £25,000 previously raised for a range of charities.

Paul Swinburn, who is Head of PE at Marshland and a former international hockey player, organises the charity run each year, and is keen to get as much sponsorship as possible for the students.

“We always research local charities, and the girls, who are the majority of the runners, really liked the idea of ‘girls helping local women’,” he said. “The children vote on who to support, and the winning vote is the charity we choose.

“There is a GoFundMe page that people can sponsor. If anyone would like to donate anything, it would be greatly appreciated by the group.”

Previous causes supported by the Pink Ladies have included Angles Theatre, the Pelicans Hockey Club, food banks, and a former Marshland student with leukaemia.

Mr Swinburn, who takes part in the run with the students, continued: “We have loads of hockey players representing the school. One of the captains has done all five runs in five years since she came to school as a Year 7, and graduates in Year 11 this year, and some are going to run again this year in a 5K, which is demanding for many of them (and me!), but they do it with a smile on their faces, knowing that putting themselves out results in bettering society – and I think that is wonderful.

“Many have to run-walk-run, but they all complete it and try to have fun at the same time, putting themselves out for others.”

He added: “The school are rightly proud of their pupils, who demonstrate, year in year out, a caring attitude towards local community charities, showing that the youth of today can show kindness, empathy, and really make a difference to others.”

To sponsor the Marshland Pink Ladies, go to: https://gofund.me/4256fed49

Popstars were the inspiration when dancers from schools across West Norfolk came together to showcase their talents.

The West Norfolk Schools Sports Partnership (WNSSP) Dance Festival on 16 June saw pupils from 15 primary schools perform at the Corn Exchange in King’s Lynn, with dance students from Springwood High School opening the morning and afternoon shows.

The school’s Head of Dance, Dawn Paulo, accompanied the 14 Springwood performers, and was also on hand to ensure the smooth running of the event, which had ‘Popstars’ as its theme.

“It is an honour to be invited to perform at this event,” she said. “It allows our dancers the opportunity to come together to perform in a professional venue, and to interact and support younger students in West Norfolk. It’s lovely to see our Springwood students enjoying themselves on stage, but it’s also great to see our primary schools getting a chance to perform too.”

She continued: “The main organiser of this event is Tracey Bower who works for the WNSSP. She invites us every year, twice a year, to perform at this event as an inspirational act.

“Once there, myself and our Springwood students help Tracey with calling up the schools to perform, and ensuring they enter and exit the stage safely, to help with a quick and smooth-running show.”

In keeping with the theme, the Springwood dancers performed a routine inspired by pop icon Michael Jackson, which featured costumes with black glitter and white gloves, and had previously seen them win the House Dance Competition at this year’s Springwood Dance Show.

Mrs Paulo explained: “There are two different shows in this event. Primary schools can either sign up to perform in the morning session or the afternoon session. Springwood performs at the beginning of the morning show and at the beginning of the afternoon show as an ‘inspirational act’.

“The primary schools all sit in the audience to watch each other perform. The remaining seats are available to the public and parents.”

Springwood is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, and other WNAT members participating in the Dance Festival included Clenchwarton Primary and Heacham Infant School, which both gave performances in the afternoon.

Mrs Paulo added: “It’s definitely a highlight of the year, as it brings so many schools together to perform and celebrate one another’s work.

“The event takes place every March and June of the academic year. Springwood will be performing next year too.”

Music lovers in King’s Lynn are in for a treat, with this year’s Community Music Festival due to take place at the beginning of July.

The free, four-day event at Springwood High School will showcase the best of West Norfolk’s musical talents, from big bands and choirs, to rock and pop stars.

Organised by the West Norfolk Academies Trust, performances will take place from 6pm each evening from Monday 6 to Thursday 9 July, and will feature 800 musicians and singers from across the region.

Our Director of Music, Robin Norman, is involved in planning the event each year.

“Over four nights, we would like to invite all the local community to Springwood for some fantastic, free, community music,” he said.

“It’s a chance to bring a chair or a blanket, and maybe a picnic, and enjoy live performances, courtesy of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.”

Each night’s entertainment has a specific theme, catering for all musical tastes across the course of the week.

Mr Norman explained: “On Monday 6 July, we kick things off with a night of concert bands, big bands, and orchestra, when the bands of Springwood will be joined by the West Norfolk Music Centre, West Norfolk Reeds, Centre Stage Swing Band, and the King’s Lynn Town Band, for a wonderful celebration of community bands and light music classics.”

He continued: “On Tuesday, we feature some of the best up-and-coming rock and pop performers across West Norfolk schools in our ‘Rock and Pop Evening’.

“Wednesday is the highlight of the week, when a total of over 200 young people will perform in a selection of nineties hits through school choirs, and three combined items.

“This is before we end the week with a celebration of the long-standing music tradition of Springwood, with our end-of-year ‘Springwood Spectacular’.”

It will be the fifth time the Community Music Festival has taken place, with more than 900 people attending last year’s event.

Mr Norman added: “Over the week, close to 800 performers will take part from both schools and the local community.

“We feel it is important to work with our local community, and so this is our way of thanking everyone for their support, with four nights of what we do best – live music.”

Spelling whizzes went head to head in an annual Trust competition, where pupils from ten schools were challenged to showcase their skills.

The West Norfolk Academies Trust Primary Spelling Bee featured 30 Key Stage 2 children from Years 3 to 6 across our member primary schools, which included Clenchwarton, Walpole Cross Keys, West Lynn, Gaywood, Snettisham, and Heacham Junior, alongside Terrington St John, Tilney St Lawrence, Walpole Highway, and West Walton from the Windmill Federation.

The event took place at Heacham Junior School and was overseen by Emma Hunt, who is WNAT English Lead as well as Executive Headteacher at the Windmill Federation.

“The event forms part of a programme of activities organised by the Trust throughout the academic year,” she said. “These events are designed to build pupils’ confidence, provide opportunities to interact and socialise with peers from other schools within the Trust, develop new skills, and, above all, ensure that pupils enjoy themselves.”

It was the fourth time the Spelling Bee had taken place, with three entrants from each primary qualifying via previous stages held in individual classes and schools. Primary Trust Assistant Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) Darren Furzey was on hand to call out the words.

Mrs Hunt continued: “Pupils pick a number from a hat  – this matches a chair for competitors to sit in. Spellings are called out and individuals answer. They remain in the competition until they spell a word incorrectly, then they sit down until a winner is found.”

Words successfully tackled by this year’s competitors included ‘accommodate’, ‘government’, ‘sincerely’, and ‘quadrilateral’, while the winner was Olivia from Clenchwarton, who correctly spelled ‘accomplishment’ to win a Kindle Fire tablet. Everyone participating received a certificate and chocolate.

Mrs Hunt added: “The Spelling Bee is a particularly valuable event, as it helps pupils develop a deeper understanding of the English language, while expanding their vocabulary.

Beyond learning to spell words correctly, participation encourages planning, preparation, perseverance, and effective study habits, all of which contribute to pupils’ overall academic development.”

There was a treat in store for music lovers, when musicians from the West Norfolk Academies Trust came together for a Piano Recital.

The performance featured pianists from across our primary and secondary schools, and took place at Springwood High School in King’s Lynn.

Besides host Springwood, other participating high schools included Marshland in West Walton, St Clement’s in Terrington St Clement, and Smithdon in Hunstanton, while among the primaries taking part were Clenchwarton, Gaywood, Heacham Junior, Snettisham, Walpole Cross Keys, and West Lynn.

“Performers represented a broad range of students, from debut and initial-level performers, through to diploma-level pianists,” said our Peripatetic Music Lead, Benjamin Howell, who oversaw the event, with the support of Trust staff including CEO Andy Johnson, and Director of Music Robin Norman.

“One of the lovely aspects of the recital was the variety of repertoire featured, spanning everything from pop and contemporary music, through to Baroque and classical works,” he continued.

“We also included several piano duets within the programme, which always add a particularly engaging dimension to the evening.”

Musical events are held regularly within our Trust, with a previous piano recital having taken place in the Autumn Term.

“Events such as these form an important part of the wider musical journey across the Trust, providing valuable stepping stones towards both short- and long-term goals for our students,” added Mr Howell.

“This very much reflects the ethos of the WNAT Peri Team this year: Practice, Progress, Performance.”