Enstone Village News
Race for Life runners set new fundraising records
Tuesday, 10 November 2009 20:01
ORGANISERS of this year’s Race for Life events in Oxfordshire have said a big thank you to runners after announcing they raised nearly £450,000.
In all, the 5,000 women running in two record breaking events in Oxford’s University Parks in June raised £342,000 for Cancer Research UK — £2,000 more than their ambitious goal.
And following the event at Cornbury Park, Charlbury, in July, £60,000 has so far been handed over in sponsorship from runners who completed the 5km race, with another £28,000 from runners who did 10km.
The charity had only expected to raised £12,000 from the longer distance race.
The warm-up at July's Cornbury Park Race for Life event
Cancer Research UK events manager for Oxfordshire Becky Ryczowski said the events in Oxford had proved so successful that they would hold a third race in the city next year.
She said: “We have beaten our target which is fantastic. What we do year on year is look at the figures and participants and break it down, then add a bit more to challenge ourselves. We are so thrilled.”
Last year, the charity spent nearly £27m on research in Oxford, with the new Gray Institute for Radiation, Oncology and Biology on the Churchill Hospital site home to 19 different research groups.
Miss Ryczowski said: “Because Oxford is one of our research centres, I think there is added awareness of what we do.”
Nationally, more than £44m has been raised at Race for Life events this year, and Miss Ryczowski said money usually continued coming in right up to the next event — with the launch prompting many runners to hand over forgotten sponsorship.
She said: “It has been a record-breaking year for us, our biggest to date.
“We are hoping next year will be bigger and better.”
The Race for Life fundraising team are already in discussions with staff at Cornbury Park about the possibility of returning next year, and the Oxford races once again look set to take place in early June.
Next year’s series of fundraising races will be officially launched in January.
The event sees thousands of women nationwide running together to raise money and awareness of the work of Cancer Research UK. Many have personal experience of the disease.
School's Les Misérables production is a sell-out success
Tuesday, 10 November 2009 13:35
STANDING ovations greeted each of the sell-out performances of Les Misérables staged over four nights by Chipping Norton School pupils.
This ambitious production of the famous West End musical, based on a novel by Victor Hugo, was staged at the Burford Road school, which specialises in the performing arts.
It required a 60-strong cast, 100 hours of rehearsal, 130 lighting cues, scores of props, 200 costumes, ten big scene changes, a technical crew of nearly 20, a front-of-house team and 20-piece orchestra.
Year 13 student, Jamie Biles, performed the principal role of Jean Valjean, the luckless mayor dogged by his disgraced past.
Pictured from left to right, in a scene from Chipping Norton School’s Les Misérables production are:
Jamie Biles, Anna Crisp and Niall Bletchley. Picture by Ken Norman.
Chris Hill played obsessive policeman Javert, while soprano Anna Crisp portrayed Cosette.
Headteacher, Simon Duffy, said: “I have never been at a school production where so many fantastic comments were made at the conclusion of each performance.
“Everyone who was lucky enough to get tickets had a memorable evening and to have standing ovations nightly truly reflected the quality of what we were treated to.
“The commitment of students and staff to stage such high quality theatre is magnificent and we thank each and every one of them."
School sets sights on specialist ranking
Tuesday, 10 November 2009 13:40
A SCHOOL for children who are so severely disabled they cannot be cared for in state schools is bidding for specialist status.
Penhurst School, in Chipping Norton, provides education and residential care for youngsters with profound and multiple learning disabilities from all over the country.
Now the school, which has 25 pupils, three of whom are from Oxfordshire, is hoping to build on its experience of working with children who use signs, symbols and nods to talk to their teachers to become a specialist school in communication and interaction.
Head of education Derek Lyseight-Jones said: “The school, its children and young people would benefit because we would be able to re-equip classrooms with equipment in technologies which move on very quickly, which would give an enormous boost.
“In terms of the community, we would be aiming to break down that kind of barrier people have in relation to children with disabilities, taking our children into local schools and having people come and work with us.
“The school has always been a very big part of Chipping Norton and the community has always been very supportive of the school, the children and the work we do.”
The school has to raise £20,000 and identify five community partners, which could include places such as East Oxford children’s hospice Helen & Douglas House, and five partner schools.
It must also prove how it will use specialist skills to benefit the wider community.
If successful, the organisation will be given £100,000 to spend on the school plus £180,000 over three years to develop its partnerships.
Mr Lyseight-Jones said the money would be spent on running courses for local business and in places where staff come across people with disabilities, and assisting teachers working with children with communication difficulties or verbal or hearing impairments.
Penhurst School takes on pupils aged between five and 19 who cannot be educated by their local education authority. All need at least one-to-one care, and some need two-to-one.
Most are wheelchair users, some have hearing or verbal impairments, epilepsy, or cerebral palsy and many have to be fed via tube directly to their stomachs as they are unable to safely swallow.
Each communicates in different, unique ways, meaning staff have built up a wealth of expertise in different forms of communication.
But despite the challenges each pupil presents, the school was rated outstanding by Ofsted in 2007 and last year the 25 children completed a total of 84 different modules in the Accreditation for Life and Living scheme, aimed at children and adults with severe disabilities.
So far there is about £5,000 in the kitty, and it is hoped a Christmas bazaar on Sunday, December 6 — the school’s first such event — will contribute further to funds.
It takes place between 2pm and 5pm at the school in New Street and all pupils will be involved.
To contribute to the school’s appeal, please call 01608 642559.