Portsmouth High Sixth Form raise over £10k for cancer charity

The Head Girl team at Portsmouth High School were delighted to announce that they have raised over £10,000 for The Haven, a national charity offering breast cancer support designed for the individual.  In a moving assembly to the whole school, the Head Girl team presented Justin Heath, Events Fundraiser, from The Haven, with a cheque for £10,593.83 pence. 

The Head Girl team spearhead fundraising activities throughout the year to generate money and raise awareness for their chosen charity.

‘One in eight women are at risk of developing breast cancer in their life-times,’ said Head Girl, Genevieve Wilks. ‘The number of diagnoses in the UK each year is around 50,000 so there are a lot of people who need specialist help and support.’

‘We decided to choose the Haven because it is a cause that has a positive effect on breast cancer sufferers,’ continued Deputy Head Girl, Rosie Tredray. ‘Breast cancer effects many people’s lives and we believed that the Haven is a charity that the whole school would get behind, and we were right. We are delighted that we have raised so much for this worthwhile cause.’

The Haven offers advice on practical matters like money and work, help combatting stress, exhaustion and nausea, advice on healthy eating and exercise. And above all, there will always be someone to talk to.

Their trained professional nurses, therapists, counsellors and advisers listen to individual concerns and give all the practical, emotional and physical support needed in a tailor-made package.

Their support is free of charge and available in the beautiful Haven centres. The nearest to Portsmouth is in Titchfield.

Most of the fund raising efforts took place last November during Portsmouth High School’s Charity Week. This dedicated week has been running for over 25 years and is always organised entirely by the Sixth Form. The week is made up of talent shows, live music events, an annual netball match versus boys from Portsmouth Grammar School. It culminates in a two night Fashion Show where the Sixth Form use business acumen and entrepreneurial skills to negotiate with local shops and liaise with local businesses to put on the show.

Mr Justin Heath, from The Haven, added:

‘Thank you so much for this generous cheque.  It is impressive and inspiring to see all the hard work that you have done.  The Haven offers great support to people suffering from breast cancer – as one visitor said to me recently, ‘the NHS helps me to live, the Haven helps me to live my life fully.’  Thank you for all your generous support.’