Last year Bromley Principal, Helen Walls, was among the Helen O'Grady team at the BBC Children In Need show to present the big cheque. With her students she raised more than £800 towards the final total. This year she is on track to better that amount but will not be able to attend the show. For very good reason!
As part of The Chelsfield Players Helen is playing Mrs. Cratchitt in a production of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. And not only Helen. Her Chislehurst teacher is playing the Ghost of Christmas Present and 11 children from her drama classes have roles too. So, as well as National Talking Day! and because Helen can not be at the show this year the Chelsfield Players will be doing the following to raise even more money for Children In Need.
- Asking the audience to donate to guess the name of Robinson Crusoe's parrot. The winner will receive said parrot!
- Charging the audience for mince pies and Christmas cake during the interval.
- Sending Tiny Tim and Scrooge out with a bucket for donations at the end of the show.
Helen says: "The information in our programme really echoes the ethos of BBC Children In Need and the work they do today. It's almost like we planned it!" The information says:
Ingnorance and Want
"One major theme in A Christmas Carol was rooted in Dickens'
observations of the plight of the children of London's poor. Thousands of
children were living in unimaginable poverty, filth and disease. In 1839 it was
estimated that nearly half of all funerals in London were for children under the
age of ten. Those who survived grew up without education or resource and virtually no chance to escape the cycle of poverty. Dickens felt this cycle could only be broken through education and became interested in the Ragged Schools in London."
This makes us all think about what a great job Children In Need does and makes us proud to be involved in their fundraising efforts.
We wish wish Helen and her colleagues the best of luck with the play and look forward to hearing about the rewards of all their efforts.
New Franchisee Of The Year, Wendy Orrell and York Principal, Lindsay Goakes, proved what drama queens they were during a discussion period. Used to telling their students to be larger than life, they are more than happy to practise what they preach.
Below, bemused Principals watch as their contemporaries demonstrate rather physical Youth Theatre games. It is never difficult to find volunteers during the workshopping sections of the Seminar.
After a very busy term, with all Principals presenting their end of year shows, it was good to see everyone relaxed and so receptive at the conference.
