Pupils and staff from Park Road, the Junior Boys' School of Bolton School, were delighted to win this year's Fundraiser of the Year Award at The Bolton News' School Awards, held at The Last Drop Village. Several boys made a thank you speech on the night as they picked up their award, which recognised the work that the Junior School does each year through its Fancy Dress Fun Run. The key fundraising event in the school's calendar sees boys and staff dress up in a range of colourful costumes and pair up to run laps around the sports field. It regularly raises £8,000-£10,000 and this year was no exception with the monies raised being shared by four charities chosen by the boys - Cancer Research UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, the RSPCA and Make A Wish UK, all of whom received £2,040 each.
Head of School, Mrs Sue Faulkner said: "We are delighted to receive this award on behalf of our boys and of course their families. The annual Charity Fancy Dress Fun Run is a key date in our school diary; of course the boys are all keen to engage in the event itself but most importantly they give very careful consideration to the charities they wish to support. In recent years we have raised an average of around £8000 each time, which has been shared by a number of key charities. This year's chosen charities are close to the hearts of a number of our families and we are very pleased that the boys elected to support them."
She added: "We hold several other fundraising events throughout the year - instilling the values of charity and volunteering are an important element of life at Bolton School where children from the youngest to the eldest are encouraged to do all they can.
"Many of our boys progress into our sixth form where they commit many hours to volunteering - something which was rewarded recently when Bolton School received the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service."