A huge well done to our pupils who gave it their all this Friday at our annual Sponsored Cross Country on Wandsworth Common. They all did a fantastic job, with Year 9s bringing the vibes by all running in novelty hats for the occasion! It was also great to see some of our parents too, cheering on our runners. Your support was much appreciated.
Thanks to everyone’s incredible efforts, we are hoping to raise vital funds for two charities that are close to our hearts: Go MAD, supporting their amazing work in Tanzania, and also Providence House Youth Club, helping young people here in Battersea. Each year we support these wonderful causes, last year we raised over £7,200 and we would love to meet that again.
Go MAD works closely with villagers in Mara, Tanzania, to plant tens of thousands of trees to capture carbon and restore habitat, encouraging return of wildlife and creating a sustainable forestry programme to provide a valuable income. This year, we would like to raise £2,500 to fund a 19,000 litre water tank at New Manna Christian School, Musoma, and fund another plantation of 2,500 trees which at £1 per tree would cost £2,500.
Providence House has been a trusted part of the Battersea community, creating safe, welcoming spaces where children and young people can belong, grow and thrive. Through youth clubs, mentoring, sports, creative programmes and life-changing trips to East Shallowford Farm in Devon, they support young people to build confidence, develop skills and broaden their horizons. Money raised by Thames pupils will go towards this valuable local work.
Tying in with this, we have recently launched our Tanzania 2027 trip which is open to current Year 10, 11 & 12 pupils. The trip will take place in mid-October and is run in association with Go Make A Difference (Go MAD). We last sent a group of Year 11 and Year 12 pupils to Tanzania in October 2025.
Our connections with Go MAD go back to the foundation of Thames in 2000 when the charity’s founder, Graham McClure, was one of the first families to send his son to Thames. We have been working with Go MAD for nearly 20 years. We welcomed Graham and co-leader Claire to a recent assembly where they talked about some of the amazing work that has been going on in the local villages.
This incredible trip provides the opportunity for pupils to see a genuinely poor area of Africa whilst enhancing the lives of villagers by undertaking projects which give them clean water and an income. The trip is almost unique amongst school trips in the way students experience Africa at a grassroots level. It broadens their minds and will also greatly enhance their personal statements when applying to university or jobs. The trip concludes with a night at a safari camp before experiencing the wildlife in the Serengeti. Lunch at a top hotel gives the opportunity to contrast the Africa experienced by tourists and the Africa that is real.
