By Isle of Wight Observer
A sell-out show, organised by pupils at Ryde School, has raised £2,600 for its partner school in Africa.
Songs on the Stage, featuring hits from West End and Broadway favourites, including Hamilton, Les Misérables and Wicked, was held in aid of Nako School in Ghana, which Ryde has supported for more than a decade.
Led by Jemima (Year 11) and Rafferty (Year 12), the performance was the first event organised specifically to raise funds for the link school.
Miriam Walker, assistant director of performing arts, said: “This performance was a testament to the ambition and responsibility of our students. They were incredibly dedicated, as organising a show of this scale around all their other work requires immense discipline.
They handled everything with total commitment, and the show was a brilliant reflection of the talent we have here at Ryde.
“Seeing that hard work translates into such an incredible fund-raising total for our cause in Nako is a proud achievement for us all.”
Around 50 performers took part in a mix of solo numbers, duets, and full-company routines.
The money raised will go towards the school’s £20,000 target to build a new kindergarten teaching block at Nako.
Pippa Ball, Ghana link lead, said: “We are fund-raising for our biggest project yet at Nako.
“This massive effort takes us close to being halfway there. The current classrooms at Nako are now in such a state of disrepair that they are unsafe and unusable. Some of the money raised will also go to provide food for the children when the government funding fails to come through.
“The pupils can be incredibly proud of putting on an amazing show and raising such a fantastic amount of money.”
Mal Butler