23 February 2025
Success for fundraising show
A sell-out show organised by Ryde School students 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.
The show, led by students Jemima (Year 11) and Rafferty (Year 12), was the very first event organised specifically to raise funds for the cause.
Miriam Walker, Ryde School’s 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 translate into such an incredible fundraising total for our cause in Nako is a proud achievement for us all.”
The show featured a mix of solo numbers, duets and full-company routines involving around 50 performers.
The money raised will go towards Ryde’s £20,000 target to build a new kindergarten teaching block at Nako.
Teacher Pippa Ball, Ryde School’s Ghana Link lead, said: “We are fundraising 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 bowl of beans will sometimes be the only food for the day for the children of Nako and when they see the fire is not lit for the cooking pot, they will turn around and go home, hungry and uneducated.
“The pupils can be incredibly proud of putting on an amazing show and raising such a fantastic amount of money.”