EVENTS – Christmas success stories
‘The children had a ball at Santa’s penalty shootout’
C
oach Jack, our school sports coach, was almost entirely
unrecognisable in his inflatable costume. As our PTA volunteers herded the children into a queue, they craned their necks to see Santa in goal. ‘Ho ho ho!’ bellowed Coach Jack as he saved the first of more than 500 goals. The children jumped up and down, eager for their turns. Our Christmas fair was smaller than usual. Instead of focusing on profit, the aim was to create a joyful, festive and social atmosphere. From the happy babble of chatter audible throughout the event, it seemed as if we had been successful – the school community was well overdue a catch-up.
As the smell of warm mince pies wafted through the crowd, parents gravitated toward the food stalls, keen to purchase a sweet festive snack and drink. Others sampled the hot dog stand, ensuring the volunteers were kept busy all afternoon. Coach Jack wasn’t the only
person in costume. I donned a Christmas tree outfit and became the Giving Tree, helping distribute children’s gifts to parents in difficult financial circumstances. In the weeks leading up to the fair, we advertised the initiative in the school newsletter. During the fair, any parent in need could visit the Giving Tree and receive a free present for their child to open on
One acted as our photographer, another organised Santa’s grotto and many signed up for a volunteer slot on the day. I organised the rota so that parents could watch their own children enjoy the event and rewarded volunteers with free coffee and cake. Gestures like this encouraged more people to help. Realising how much work we had put in, many parents expressed their thanks on Facebook. The Winter Wonderland event has
made us rethink our approach to fundraising. Because every child had the same experience, it felt like our most inclusive event to date. But it wasn’t until the teachers shared some of the children’s work with me that it hit home how worthwhile it had been. Writing about the highlights of their year, many children mentioned our Winter Wonderland. Realising what special memories we had created for them warmed my heart no end. Danielle Gautrey, chair of Friends of Nicholas Hawksmoor School, Towcester, Northamptonshire (430 pupils)
THE 2022
WORLD CUP is scheduled to take place from 21 November to 18 December
Not many fairs can boast two Santas. But as well as having Santa in goal, we had another in Santa’s grotto
pta.co.uk AUTUMN 2022 47
AS TOLD TO ANNA SCOTT; IMAGES: WINTER WONDERLAND: SUZANNE KENTISH
INFO.BRANDPHOTOGRAPHYSK@
GMAIL.COM BAUBLE: STUDIO BARCELONA/
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
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