“Happy New Year and a very warm welcome back. I would particularly like to welcome Jayshan Naidu, who is our new Head of Business Studies, and Paula Trippett, who has replaced Christine Duncan as the PA to Charlie Fisher (Deputy Head) and myself. Thank you to everyone who contributed donations to the Toy Bank in the final weeks of last term. The response was exceptional, and the toys were distributed shortly before Christmas. Thank you also to the pupils who gave up their time to help organise the toys for distribution at St. Mary’s Church. We were equally grateful for the overwhelming response to the Ely Foodbank in early October.
“The wider focus for our charity fundraising this year is supporting Hope4Malawi with the aim of raising £20,000 to build a new classroom at our link school in Malawi. To support this cause, in mid-February we are hosting a Burns Night Supper and Ceilidh. The details are on the school box office: Box office – King’s Ely (kingsely.org). I do hope many of you can support this event and perhaps even organise a table of friends. We appreciate the price of tickets is not insignificant at £75 per head, but all proceeds go to an extremely worthy cause, and it promises to be a great evening. There is a discount of £40 if you purchase four tickets. Guests are asked to wear traditional black tie (with a hint of tartan) and the ticket price includes a Scottish Burn’s Supper with wine, a bagpiper, four-course dinner in the Monastic Barn, followed by cheese, port and Scottish Ceilidh Dancing – no experience necessary. There is also a charity auction with some fantastic lots available, including tickets to Wimbledon, Premier League tickets, Women’s Super League tickets, Dinner B&B at a country hotel, and even a tour of a brewery!”