Eton Action raised over £27,000 for five nominated charities at the Eton Action Fair on Saturday 18 March.
Despite damp weather at times, a steady stream of visitors from Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead joined parents and friends of pupils at Eton College to enjoy games, food, raffles and musical performances.
An independent charity founded by pupils at Eton College over 50 years ago, Eton Action raises funds for charitable causes. This year’s five nominated charities, who receive an equal share of the money raised and are voted for by pupils at Eton College, were:
- Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (a local environmental charity)
- The OSCAR Foundation (a non-profit who empower children from low-income communities in India)
- Slough Food Bank (who provide foodbanks and emergency food to people in crisis)
- Fulham Reach Boat Club (who give access to rowing for those in financial hardship)
- The Dusty Yak Foundation (who aid impoverished and sick children in Nepal)
The fair hosted 32 charities and 34 local businesses. Visitors also attended tours of the Museum of Eton Life and the Verey Gallery, which were hosted by Eton College Collections. Of all the attractions, the Ocean Express Play Bus and Berkshire Birds of Prey experiences were particularly popular. Additionally, all 25 of Eton’s boarding Houses ran their own stalls, with their fair games including space hopper races, a coconut shy and hobby horse racing.
Durnford House, one of Eton College’s boarding Houses, then began their own fundraising effort at 5pm on Saturday after the fair had ended. All 55 boys in the boarding House competed across 12 sports in 24 hours to raise money for Eton Action’s nominated charities, playing football, swimming, basketball, rackets, badminton, table tennis, Eton Fives, golf, tennis, squash, cricket and rugby sevens.
Eleanor Chownsmith, Eton Connect Coordinator at Eton College, said: “Everyone always comes together to make the Eton Action Fair happen. We are honoured to host the fair each year and we are so proud of all the boys and staff who volunteered their time to support. We hope the funds raised have the biggest impact possible for our nominated charities, all of which are incredible causes. It’s always a joy to meet the stall holders and charities, and we look forward to the next Eton Action Fair.”
The aim of Eton Action is to fundraise for charities other than the College itself. The five Eton Action charities for each year are shortlisted by the pupil committee and then voted on by every pupil in the School. Fundraising events, such as sponsored runs and swim-a-thons, run throughout the academic year in aid of those five chosen charities. Eton Action also run individual funding campaigns; for example, pupils raised over £40,000 to support the UNICEF Ukraine Appeal.
