GDST | Charity Fashion Show at Portsmouth High School

GDST | Portsmouth High School set to raise thousands for charity

The Portsmouth High School Sixth Form have just held their annual Charity Week which culminated in a glittering and dazzling Fashion Show on Thursday and Friday night. This year the girls chose to support Children on the Edge, a Chichester based charity.

Charity Week at Portsmouth High has been going on for over 25 years and is always run entirely by the Sixth Form. The week is made up of a fancy dress parade, talent show, games, an annual netball match versus the Portsmouth Grammar School’s First XV rugby team and a two night Fashion Show.

 Head Girl, Rachel Kellagher, 17, had this to say of the event,

‘Charity week is one of the highlights of the school calendar and we were really excited to put our own spin on it this year,’ ‘We’ve charged up the Fashion Show to facilitate a theme of decades, and we couldn’t wait to take PHS on a journey through time!

‘Charity week is also about teamwork: the whole school community comes together to make this week a success, with teachers joining in performing in lip sync battles and our Prep School girls walking in the Fashion Show. All of the Sixth Form have worked immensely hard, not just organising daily events but also taking responsibility for the business side of the week as well; the finance and insurance as well as the ticketing, marketing and accompanying paperwork. Whilst juggling this work with A Levels and other commitments has been challenging at times, we understand that this is a reflection of real life, and continues to develop in us a work hard, play hard ethos, which the school has taught us from the beginning.

‘This year we chose to fundraise for Children on the Edge which exists to help marginalised and forgotten children, who are living on the edge of their societies. These are children without parental care, neglected or persecuted by their governments, ignored by international media and missed by large overseas agencies. We believe they are an inspiring charity and incredibly relevant in the current global climate.’

 

Priyanka, 12, added,

‘I am so sad the week is coming to an end,’ ‘I think the lip-sync battle with the teachers was so funny particularly seeing the teachers taking part and not teaching!  It has all been for a really good cause for children who could be otherwise forgotten about.’

 

Alice, 14, commented further,

‘I loved all of Charity Week because it was so entertaining. The Room101 lunchtime event was my favourite because the teachers put in a lot of effort. I really enjoyed the Talent Show too and am looking forward to when it’s my year group’s turn to run Charity Week when we are in the Sixth Form’.

 

And final thoughts of the charity event came from Eloise Armstrong, Fundraising Manager for Children on the Edge who came to the Fashion Show.

‘I was delighted to attend such a wonderfully produced event,’‘The whole evening was professional and fun, with first class attention to detail and design. Every pupil that took part should be very proud of themselves. Thank you for bringing hope, life, colour and fun to some of the most marginalised children in the world today.’