A group of runners at Marshland High School have smashed their target and topped £25,000 of fundraising with their latest 5k challenge.

The Pink Ladies Hockey Squad took part in the special 5k Parkrun held in King’s Lynn earlier this month and had hoped to raise £2,000 to achieve their target. But the total came in at nearly £3,000 thanks to donations via a fundraising web page.

“I was so proud of all the runners and so many people in the community said such great things, not just about the squad, but the school and youth in general. They said things like ‘the school must be proud of its pupils as they are putting in so much effort,’” said Paul Swinburn, Head of PE at the school.

He had also invited former members of the Pink Ladies to join this year’s group and there were a total of 32 runners and ten theatre members on the start line.

A lack of opportunity for keen girl hockey players, and having pupils play for town clubs or even at national league level,  prompted Mr Swinburn to create a Marshland High School squad. He found the funds to source the distinctive pink shirts more than 15 years ago and the team soon became known as the Pink Ladies.

“The kit looked like a dream and the number of girls wanting to play increased dramatically,” he said. This year the Wisbech Lions have bought the squad a sponsored kit carrying on the pink tradition.

“We looked great in the new shirts and I reached out to potential sponsors to help us get the skorts we need, as the ones we have are so old and in total disrepair,” he added.

The money from the Parkrun this year has all been raised to help the Angles Theatre in Wisbech, a venue close to the hearts of many pupils at the West Walton school.

This year was the eighth time the hockey squad has been raising money for charities, which have also included food banks, Fenland Women’s Refuge, the theatre and to help pay for a rail card to help a former squad member who was recovering from leukaemia to travel around Europe.

“This year I had over 50 girls turning out at regular after-school clubs, with many of those going on to play for school and even local clubs,” added Mr Swinburn.

Hockey players, both boys and girls, from the school help populate clubs, including the Pelicans in King’s Lynn, Wisbech Town and Long Sutton. The under-15 mixed team are the district champions and the under-16 girls are county champions within the state school sector.

“The run was epic. I was so proud of all the runners and there was a huge buzz as we arrived.”

The graduating Class of 2025 returned to a WNAT school to discover it had undergone a black-gold-and-cream makeover to provide a red-carpet experience for their end-of-year Prom.

The Year 11 leavers arrived at Springwood High School in King’s Lynn in a range of diverse vehicles, from classic cars, vintage motors, and sports cars, to mopeds, SUVs, trucks, tractors, and a fire engine, with one student even driving his own racing go-kart.

The 200 partygoers were also dressed for the occasion, with a colourful array of ball gowns, cocktail dresses, and evening suits on show.

Inside the venue, entertainment on offer ranged from arcade games and a disco to a dance mat, which saw students and staff compete against one another in a dance off.

Refreshments included hand-crafted pizzas supplied by former Springwood students Danny and Lucy Child of Pizza Slice Guy, and a drinks bar, while there was also a photo booth, where students were able to create their own lasting souvenirs of the evening.

“Prom is a culmination of five years at Springwood, for some signifying the end of their journey with us, while others continue onto Sixth Form,” said Year 11 Pastoral Manager Abbie Rawlinson, who co-organised the event with Head of Year 11 Victoria Mann.

“This cohort has been a delight to work with – they have thrown themselves into every challenge, and participated in all aspects of school life. They have represented themselves in the community and national competitions, and we are immensely proud of them.

“We would like to thank everyone involved in making the Prom a wonderful evening for our leavers. A lot of work from the whole Springwood team will leave the students with a lot of special memories.”

Students at a WNAT secondary were raring to go when they designed their own racing cars as part of a special Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Workshop.

All 115 Year 7 students at Smithdon High School in Hunstanton took part in the ‘Race to the Line’ event, which was sponsored by Stannah Stairlifts in conjunction with the Learning Partnership.

The young engineers were also fortunate to have Tony Steel, a STEM Ambassador from Rolls Royce, on hand to discuss ideas and offer design advice.

“Students designed their cars, drilling holes for wheels, designing the wheels, and making them as aerodynamic as possible,” said Smithdon’s Head of Science, Claire Pike, who organised the event with the help of Design Technology Teacher Alix Birks, and Maths Teacher Sam Plant.

“Students also did some challenging maths in a session looking at speed, distance, and time.”

Once the designs had been built, their creators had the opportunity to test the cars in the school sports hall.

“In the afternoon session, all the students eagerly awaited the launch of the cars using carbon-dioxide gas,” continued Mrs Pike. “They certainly flew down the track, with the timing gates run by a micro-bit computer doing the timing.”

It was the first time that Smithdon had held the event.

“It was really fun to be smart and creative to create a car,” said student Tyler. “Athough our car didn’t do well in the race, the process of making it was the best. It also made me understand the importance of teamwork."

“Race to the Line was very good and fun, because you built your own cars then raced them to see who was fastest,” said classmate Air. “I really liked the mechanical side of it, with the aerodynamics and how to make your car go fast. It was really good seeing everyone’s different designs and ideas as they flew down the centre of the sports hall.”

Fellow participant Harry agreed: “I really liked it, as we got to have our own design and shape of the cars, and it was really engaging at the end when they all raced.”

“This type of event is hugely important to show students how STEM subjects all come together to support each other,” added Mrs Pike.

“It was an amazing day, and the students were fantastic even with the hot weather.”

There were sports cars, motorbikes, classic cars, a double-decker bus, and even a Scooby Doo-style ‘Mystery Machine’, when graduating students from a WNAT school arrived for their Leavers’ Prom on Thursday 26 June.

The Class of 2025 from Smithdon High School in Hunstanton were greeted by friends, family, and well-wishers as they reached Knights Hill Hotel in King’s Lynn for a night of well-earned celebration.

The 73 Year 11 students were dressed for the occasion, with a host of colourful ball gowns, cocktail dresses, and evening wear on display.

Inside, the venue boasted a suitably celebratory red, gold, and black colour scheme, which had been chosen by the Year 11 Student Leadership Team, and included tables decorated with balloons in the appropriate shades.

Entry was via laminated tickets which had been designed to act as lasting souvenirs of the evening, while attractions on offer included a pizza buffet, and disco.

There was also a sweet cart stocked with traditional confectionery, along with a commemorative photo booth, which allowed the partygoers to preserve their memories for prosperity.

The Year 11 students were joined by members of staff from Smithdon for the event, which was supported by Hunstanton Charity Shop.

“It was great to celebrate our students’ end of schooling at Smithdon High School,” said Dan Ward, who is Assistant Headteacher and Head of Years 10 and 11 at the school.

“Everyone enjoyed the evening.”

https://townandaround.net/news/from-ball-gowns-to-buses-smithdon-leavers-celebrate-in-style

Young book lovers at a West Norfolk Academies Trust school have raised more than £100 to promote reading among their classmates.

The pupils at Gaywood Primary held a second-hand book sale on Wednesday 18 June, with all money raised going to buy equipment to enable outdoor reading at the school in sunnier weather.

“The book sale took place during breaktime on the school playground, and was led by the Reading Leaders,” explained Chloe Sneath, who is English Lead at the school and oversaw the event.

“The school Reading Leaders are children from Years 3 to 6,” she continued. “There are a total of nine Reading Leaders who applied to become Reading Leaders at the start of the year. They have aimed to promote a love of reading throughout the school.

“We created a message to parents to ask them to bring in donations. The children also delivered a whole-school assembly to share the aim of the book sale with the other children, which was to raise money to purchase picnic blankets, beanbags, and outdoor books – all to help pupils enjoy reading in the sunshine during the warmer months.”

Books donated ranged from fiction and non-fiction to poetry and comic books, and the sale continued after school to enable friends and family to buy books for younger siblings and other family members.

Across the two sessions, the children sold more than 200 ‘pre-loved’ books, and made an impressive total of £101.50 for their cause.

“These events are important for promoting a love of reading among children and within the community,” added Mrs Sneath.

“They give children access to a wide range of new literature, while also being environmentally friendly by encouraging the sharing of second-hand books.”

Generous students from St Clement’s High School organised a collection to support the work of a local foodbank after learning about its role.

Project manager at King’s Lynn Foodbank, Helen Gilbert was invited to the school to  speak to students about the reasons people may find themselves in need of support.

Inspired by the presentation she gave, the Year 7 students launched a collection drive to support the work of the charity, and they collected more than 400 items, from essential tinned goods to toiletries and long-life food items.

“They had the opportunity to personally deliver the donation to the foodbank, seeing first-hand the impact of their generosity. The food weighed in at 161.7kg and helped to provide eight, emergency three-day parcels to local families,” said Emily Cawston, Year 7 Pastoral and Safeguarding officer at the school.

The Lynn foodbank is run by the Trussell charity and relies on volunteers and donations to keep running. It provides three days of emergency food for people in King’s Lynn and supports 113 agencies and charities in the network while signposting people to services and support.

“In the last ten years, the need for a foodbank in King’s Lynn has more than doubled, and continues to grow. Most of our referrals come from four wards in the town and the most cited reasons are the rising cost of essentials, impact of a health condition, debt or benefit delay,” says the website.

For more information, see kingslynn.foodbank.org.uk