Climbing high for the Harley Jae Trust

Undeterred by an earlier postponement due to unseasonably horrendous weather last term, an intrepid team of six Year 10 girls and three staff members from Nottingham Girls’ High School set out to climb Mount Snowdon to raise money for charity.

The Harley Jae Trust supports children with life-changing conditions by providing equipment that is vital to their care and developmental needs. Bella Bailey in Year 10 was so moved after a visit to the Children’s Ward at Christmas that she decided to get involved, saying:  “I’ve always enjoyed doing charity work but when I visited the hospital on Christmas Eve with my brother and sister who have been involved in lots of events, I felt that it was my turn to help out the very poorly children and their families in such pain.”

Along with good friend Erin Kingsley, Bella has already organised numerous fundraising events for the charity – raffles, cake sales and even a netball match pitching staff against girls, which have already raised over £3,000 – an amazing accomplishment. Erin adds: “I was desperate to help Bella and get involved. We have devoted many hours and effort to this and it’s really rewarding knowing we are doing this for a great cause. We both feel greatly passionate about it and I am sure we will continue to help as much as we can. Snowdon will be a great challenge but also a great opportunity to help.”

With the help of the school’s Head of Outdoor Learning, Jen Lynn, the girls put the plan into action, even managing to secure donations of clothing, the use of a mini-bus, and a financial contribution from a local business. They are incredibly grateful for all of this support.

The team set off on their renewed attempt at the end of the first week of the new school year. Camping out on the first night they had to bail out their tents as the weather yet again turned against them and the rain poured down. The following morning however, the sun came out and conditions improved so that the rest of the trip remained dry. Amid stunning views and after an epic climb, the jubilant team reached the summit, finally achieving their goal from the previous term.

Jen Lynn, who joined them on their expedition, says of the girls: “I have been extremely impressed with the organisation, commitment and forward-thinking nature that this group of Year 10 students have shown towards this charity event. They have organised it all themselves in order to raise a significant amount of money for charity. The team have had to dig deep and battle hard to reach the top, however, they have been nothing short of amazing.”

Students at Nottingham Girls’ High School are encouraged to think about others and take the initiative in charity and fundraising events – the school has an outstanding record for raising money with over £17,000 collected last year for various organisations. They recognise the caring nature of their girls, but also their creativity in devising ways to fundraise, and their courage in taking on some of the challenges in which they have been, and continue to be, involved.