Rydal Penrhos is delighted to announce that its charity partner for the next academic year is Sense, a charity that supports the deafblind and those with complex disabilities to communicate and express themselves.

Charity and philanthropy are at the heart of Rydal Penrhos and all the work that we do. As a school in the Methodist tradition, the teachings of John Wesley on the subject continue to inform the core values and tenets that guide our community; teachings captured in the famous Wesley adage, “do all the good you can, by all the means you can, […] to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

Rydal Penrhos is itself a registered charity, advancing the education and learning of children and young people. Beyond this, however, the school also provides support to several other charities and non-profit organisations, from local good causes such as Ty Gobaith to national and international charities including Blind Veterans UK, Children in Need, and the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

For the upcoming 2023/24 academic year, Rydal Penrhos is delighted to announce it is partnering with Sense, a charity supporting those who are deafblind or have complex disabilities. Driven by the belief that everyone should be able to take part in life, no matter their disability, Sense has 65 years of expertise in providing personalised support for people of all ages and has 20 centres and colleges in communities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This will be far from the first time Rydal Penrhos and Sense have worked together to further this important cause. On several occasions, our staff and pupils have shown their support for current parent, former pupil and Sense fundraiser Rob Lloyd (RS 1976-81).

As part of his ‘Senseless Challenge‘, a twelve-month initiative which saw Rob complete a different fundraising feat each month, Rob ran a charity marathon in September 2021, which began and ended at Rydal Penrhos. The alumnus was joined for the first mile by pupils young and old before receiving a hero’s welcome from our school community as he completed the final part of his marathon later that afternoon.

In March this year, Sixth Form pupils and staff, including Deputy Head Girl Elodie Commissaris, Eco Committee Head Ellise Wallace and Prep teacher Mrs Merrick, visited Sense’s Llandudno location to lend their support to Rob Lloyd as he launched a campaign to collect 10,000 bags of much-needed clothing for the charity’s stores.

Last week, Prep pupils in Year 3 helped celebrate the grand opening of the new Sense Respite Centre in Denbigh by marching to the town’s historic castle dressed as knights. It was certainly a memorable day for out pupils, who drew plenty of attention from passers-by! A full report of this exciting event will follow in the next issue of the RP Newsletter, which will be available next weekend.

With this new partnership in place, Rydal Penrhos will fundraise for Sense across a range of events, including the annual Whole-School Walkathon, and will also support the ongoing clothes donation scheme launched at the March event in Llandudno. Of course, Rydal Penrhos will continue to support other charities in addition to Sense through the year, meaning annual events such as Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day and the RNLI Christmas Carol Service will continue.

Sense can count on Rydal Penrhos’ enthusiastic support as we embark on fundraising endeavours and work together to amplify awareness for the important causes they advocate. Admissions and Marketing Manager Maria McLean said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Sense for the coming academic year, having already worked with Rob Lloyd over a number of different events. I am sure our pupils, parents and staff will show their usual enthusiasm in supporting this excellent cause.”