CHARITY starts at school for students at Malton who have embarked on a series of fundraising projects benefiting people locally and overseas.

One group of students at Malton School have raised £738 for Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) by hosting a Shakespeare-themed event.

With the addition of an extra personal interest session on the curriculum at Malton, students now have a dedicated time each week to get involved in even more charity work.

The Shakespeare evening, which took place last term, was inspired by The Bard’s 400 year anniversary this year, and was a project set by the school’s English department.

Project leaders, Matty Godrich and Monique Preston, both Year 11, organised the evening which involved Shakespeare-themed activities, including creating a Globe Theatre and matching quotes to plays. The fundraising team also organised a non-uniform day as part of their efforts.

The pair were supported by Isabel Donaldson, Rowan Lyall, Shannon Swift, Sophie Pennock and Daniella Preston, in preparing for the event. Teachers Claire Wilcock, head of English, and Kate Ward, assistant head of English, also put in a huge effort to make sure the evening was a success.

Teacher Kate Ward said: “The students worked exceptionally hard in order to make the VSO event possible. They all gave up their free time to organise, plan and prepare the event with an impressive level of professionalism.

“It was wonderful to see how well they worked together as a team and they should all be commended for their dedication to such a worthy cause. I could not be prouder of them.”