MUSICALS FOR A CAUSE
A fun showcase of musical theatre performances raised over £ 800 for Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees
This concert featured performers from all over the school , from Year 7 right through to the Upper Sixth , with ticket sales raising money to support Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees , a local charity which the school Refugee Action Committee works closely with to support and resettle refugees in the community . Together , we are currently supporting over 50 families from Ukraine , Syria and Afghanistan . This cause seems particularly pertinent at the moment , given the numerous humanitarian crises going on across the globe , such as the war in Ukraine and the devastating earthquakes in Syria . Fortunately , we managed to raise over £ 800 for this cause !
We enjoyed fantastic performances all round – including our double act , Mr Oberti-Oddi and Simba Li ( Year 11 ), who brought some comedy to the stage as the compères ! We also had a speech at the beginning from Jude Thomas , a representative from Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees , who kindly gave a summary of all the fantastic work the charity does in the local community .
With help from other members of the Refugee Action Committee , we held a bake sale in the interval , where we sold home-baked goods , including many international delicacies . In fact , thanks to the hard work of the group , we had so much to sell that we continued the bake sale at school the next morning ! We also sold copies of The Syrian Spoon , a cookbook produced by Sevenoaks students , in collaboration with volunteers and refugees associated with the charity . It is full of delicious , easy vegetarian recipes , all from Syrian cuisine , and copies are available on the Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees website .
The concert ’ s success couldn ’ t have been achieved without the many people who helped to support it , including performers , audience and the Refugee Action Committee . In particular , Mr Palmer and Mrs Douglas merit special credit for all the organisational help and guidance they offered me throughout the process . The hard work and time invested was well worth it for the money raised , all of which goes towards finding housing , jobs , education and much more , for the refugees in our community . In the Refugee Action Committee , we will plan to continue this work , and have already begun thinking of what our next project will be .
Odette Mead , Lower Sixth
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