Flying high at Wings of Hope Achievement Awards

Five QE musicians who together raised money for underprivileged children were winners at the Wings of Hope children’s charity annual awards, with two further QE teams among the runners-up.

Team Ember, who all entered Year 10 this month, took the top prize in the Excellence in Arts category in the awards’ grand final at London Business School.

Teams Saroya and Helios, who also progressed beyond the semi-final, were runners-up in the Community Action and Excellence in Sports awards respectively.

Assistant Head (Co-curricular and Partnerships) Crispin Bonham-Carter said: “Charitable fund-raising has long been important for pupils at QE, and it is therefore heartening to see these boys showing such initiative and creativity in helping those less fortunate than themselves. I congratulate Team Ember on their award and commend all our participants on their efforts.”

Ember’s Dilan Amin, Arnav Ghoshal, Vihaan Jain, Rushil Matta and Aadhithya Muthukumar used a YouTube channel to raise £1,424 for the education of underprivileged children in India and Sierra Leone. They uploaded guitar and piano pieces, including a number of guess-the-song challenges.

The awards were presented by: fashion designer Zandra Rhodes; Barbara Campos, CEO of the Joseph fashion house, and Kapila Ireland, Editor at DFNI Frontier travel magazine.

Previously, the three QE teams were among just 20 teams to be selected from among 200 entrants to present their entries at the Wings of Hope semi-final, which was held at Westminster Central Hall.

Team Saroya showcased their creative fundraising, which included a poetry competition that earned them recognition in local newspapers. The members of Helios demonstrated remarkable dedication and physical commitment, raising more than £500 by completing triathlons between them — including a three-quarters marathon.

The members of Helios, who are now in Year 11, are: Pranav Bonagiri; Nicholas Grobler; Joel Jeon; Anirudh Premkumar; and Aadhav Ranga. Team Saroya, who are from the year below, are: Arjun Ladva; Sai Rushil Manchiraju; Ojas Mendse; Yaksh Patel; Rishabh Satsangi; and Akshaj Vasdev.

Founded more than 20 years ago, Wings of Hope helps UK pupils develop transferable skills through its annual achievement awards programme.