Think pink: Fundraising day helps cancer research

Tonbridge School has been ‘in the pink’ to show its support for breast cancer charities.

Boys donned a variety of outrageous and eye-catching clothing, including onesies, leggings, wigs and bonnets for the school’s annual Pink Day on Friday (12 October). Teachers and support staff also joined in with the spirit of the day and sported pink attire in order to increase awareness of the disease, and raise funds which will support vital research into improving cancer survival rates for all.  

The morning chapel service was a sea of pink as boys filled the pews and seats. Boys continued to wear their bright clothing throughout the day’s lessons and activities. Competitions were run to find the Best Dressed Individual (Ben Moore, WH2) and group.

To spread the message even further, staff tied pink bows and ribbons to school buildings, trees and signposts, and flew a huge pink flag with the message ‘Supporting Breast Cancer Now’.  

This year’s Pink Day was launched in a school assembly by Paul Ridd, a Biology teacher at Tonbridge, who has experienced the effects of breast cancer within his family. In a moving talk he explained how, thanks to research, treatments are improving all the time and how increasing numbers of cancers are curable if spotted at an early stage.

Sporting a bright pink T-shirt with the words ‘How Do Yours Feel?’, Paul’s powerful message was that we all need to be aware of any changes in our bodies, and that boys and men, in particular, need to act immediately if they have concerns.  

The Tonbridge School Centre also hosted a coffee morning for Pink Day, which included a raffle and a bring and buy cake sale. 

Juliet Burnett, the school’s Community Action Manager, said: “Pink Day is very popular among the boys. It’s a special occasion when the whole school gets involved and it’s a fun way to promote a serious message. We have raised well over £3,000, which has beaten our previous record sum.” 

Pink Day is one of several key charitable events that boys are encouraged to get involved in throughout the year. Others include the ‘sleep out’ in aid of the charity Porchlight, music concerts for senior citizens, events to support street children in Sri Lanka, and the Whole School Community Day, when boys work on a range of local projects.

To make a donation and for more information: https://breastcancernow.org/