Fundraising success
‘We raised more than £1,000 from a fundraising gig’
We are currently running a funding appeal to help us raise £2,000 for a sensory room at our secondary school – and wanted to try something different. One of our teachers (Michelle) reached out on social media to a couple of musicians she liked – Mark Morriss, who lives in Sussex and is best known as the frontman for The Bluetones, and London-based Fyfe Dangerfield, the founding member of indie rock band Guillemots. Both responded, and agreed to play for free. As soon as a date was agreed,
we began looking for a special venue that would appeal to a wide audience. We found a local community church which often hosts concerts, has its own café area and has recently been refurbished. Our
Friends of Priory PTA helped us run the refreshments and organised the licence. Brighton-based Infinity Foods donated about £150 of chocolate and crisps and we put tickets on sale using an online booking site. Michelle spent hours putting up posters in cafés and shops, and we also used social media to spread the word. The venue was beautiful and the
acoustics were spot on. Mark Morriss started the show with a 45-minute
‘Mark Morriss and Fyfe Dangerfield both responded, and agreed to play for free’
Guests were entertained by Mark Morriss (above) and Fyfe Dangerfield (below left)
set, mixing new material along with some well-known Bluetones tracks. This was followed by Suzi Payton, a neurodivergent coach and comedian from Brighton, who performed a short comedy set and shared neurodiversity awareness. Fyfe Dangerfield played two absolutely stunning sets, moving between guitar and grand piano. It was wonderful hearing his new material alongside the beautiful Guillemots classics! We felt very blessed – it was a
special evening and we raised £1,500. After expenses, we still made £1,200 and this week we received a charity donation of £500 towards this project. This means we can start planning our new sensory room, allowing many more students the opportunity to take time out when they need to self-regulate. Sensory rooms are designed to provide a controlled and interactive space that stimulates the senses and promotes relaxation, focus, and emotional regulation. They typically include a variety of equipment, such as soft lighting, calming music, tactile surfaces, vibrating objects, and visual stimuli.
Amanda Burgess, community liaison and income generating manager, Priory School, Lewes
FundEd SPRING 2024 7
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