Teesdale School Rotary Interact Club led by sixth former, Scarlett Ballantine, recently hosted a charity quiz night to raise money for a remote community in Peru called Cancha Cancha.
This charity venture was inspired by Nina Holguin in Year 12 whose family have been long-term supporters of aid programmes in Cancha Cancha. Nina said: “It is really important that we are able to help these people who live in a very isolated and disadvantaged part of the world. It is our responsibility as individuals who have so much in relative terms to give something to people who have so little. The money raised this evening will be used to pay for a hot meals programme for the school in Cancha Cancha.”
The night was well attended by staff and students from the school as well as representatives of the Rotary Club and the Barnard Castle Town Mayor, Sandra Moorhouse. Twelve teams battled it out for the prize of quiz champions whilst enjoying an incredible meal prepared entirely by the students who organised and ran the evening. It was the team from the maths department who finally triumphed.
The money collected from the ticket prices, raffle and charity auction saw the grand total reach an impressive £800. Scarlett said: “Everyone had a great evening and the fantastic amount of money we raised made all the hard work that went into planning and organising the evening really worthwhile. It will, hopefully, make a real difference.”
Dr Simon Henderson, Head of History and Sixth Form said: “This is exactly the sort of initiative that makes our sixth form so special. We are proud that our students have a strong social conscience and that whilst they are here studying with us they try to have a positive impact on the local and global community.”
There are already plans for a similar event in the near future where the maths department can try to defend their quiz crown.
The Rotary Interact Club would like to thank members of staff at Teesdale as well as the following local businesses for generously donating prizes for the raffle; The Chocolate Fayre, Niche Living, Oswells, Victoria Dental Practice, The Fox and Hound pub, the Barnard Castle Brewing Company.