On Saturday, 14 September, at the largest and most successful Eton Action Fair to date, hundreds of Eton students entertained more than 3000 visitors with games, music and amusements, raising a whopping £32,000 for charity, a record in the Fair’s history.
Boys from every boarding house plus sport teams and student societies took part, in a spirit of friendly rivalry, to see which group could raise the most for good causes. For a nominal fee, visitors could try their luck at cup pong, enjoy crepes made to order by boys, throw a wet sponge at a King’s Scholar at the “Soak a KS” stall, take on a young Etonian at chess, or watch a student wrestle a teacher - both in comical inflatable wrestling suits. The Eton College Boat Club hosted a challenge for visitors to beat the time of an Olympic rower on a rowing machine, and the Environmental Action stall featured a game in which visitors had to land a disk in a model frog’s mouth for the chance to win an edible prize.
The Fair offered more than 140 stalls, many from local producers of high-quality crafts and healthy foods, as well as rides and a farm animal petting space for young children. With musical performances by Eton students and local performers throughout the day, the Fair was non-stop fun, and all for the benefit of this year’s five Eton Action official charities, voted in by Eton students. Those five charities are:
Restart Africa - Restart Africa works to save abused, abandoned and desperate children in Kenya. They offer street children from Gilgil a haven from homelessness, violence and drugs, by providing a home at The Centre, and rehabilitating, educating and inspiring the children and young people to find self-respect, security and hope.
Slough Refugee Support - Slough Refugee Support helps 150+ refugees and asylum seekers in Slough and the Thames Valley each year, giving advice, legal support, help to access work, health and education services, plus sewing classes with a creche.
Rainbow Trust - This charity cares for families of children with life-limiting or life- threatening conditions, providing a Family Support Worker to assist families struggling with the huge burden of looking after a seriously ill child.
Campaign Against Living Miserably - CALM is a mental health charity dedicated to reducing suicides amongst young people. They offer support and resources to help people who are feeling suicidal and those grieving a loved one has committed suicide.
BEAT - About 1.25 million people in the UK suffer with eating illnesses and BEAT runs a National Helpline to encourage and empower people to get help quickly. Their work saves lives and enables people to live free from eating disorders.
Written by Thomas G. Year 12