Bristol school rocks for charity

 

A charity which looks after 400 homeless young people in Bristol each year benefited from a "battle of the bands" held in Mangotsfield.

Pupils at Mangotsfield School staged the musical talent contest on Wednesday night to raise funds for Way Ahead.

Based in Old Market, Way Ahead gives job training and accommodation to hundreds of youths who find themselves homeless in Bristol each year.

The proceeds of the event were going straight towards the £1.5 million needed annually to keep the charity running.

The night was organised solely by pupils at the school, led by 17-year-old Becky Jones from Emerson's Green, who is chairwoman of the school's student council.

She said: "The battle of the bands has been a very popular event before, so I was happy to do it again this year.

"Way Ahead is a really worthy charity and we make sure that everyone's aware of what the proceeds of the night are going towards."

Sam Biggs, 42, from Staple Hill, has three children who are pupils at Mangotsfield School and is the finance office manager for Way Ahead.

She said: "We help house young people between the ages of 16 and 25 – there's a higher demand at the moment than we can meet. Lots of it is down to family breakdowns but there are many young people from foreign countries who have come here seeking asylum, as well as youngsters with drug issues.

"We get most of our funding through the city council but events like this really help as well. The money from tonight will go towards buying new computers which the youngsters can use to find new accommodation or to look for a job."

Mrs Biggs' son Nick, 17, is a member of the Mangotsfield School council and said student-led fundraising activities at the school raised about £1,500 each year for a variety of Bristol charities.

He said: "We are a big school and everyone likes to get together for these events – it's good fund and it raises money for good causes at the same time."

More than 200 people turned out to watch the 10 bands battling it out on the stage in the school's main hall. Children paid £2 to get in while adults paid £3. The night was expected to raise more than £500.

Andrew Wait, the school's deputy head, said: "The kids are very good and this is a completely student-led event. It's great to give them the opportunity to realise how difficult doing something like this is – there have been a few traumas along the way but it's all come together now."

 

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