Boys from across QE staged an online talent show to raise funds for the nearby Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice – the School’s main chosen charity of the year.
Pupils of every age, from Year 7 to the Sixth Form, were given two weeks to prepare their acts and then submit recordings to the School. More than 20 boys took part, coming up with a huge variety of acts, from comedy and card tricks to a Shakespearean recitation and classical music performances.
Their video and audio clips were then edited together by Aryan Saraf, now of Year 12, and published – for a short period only – on YouTube after being launched as a YouTube Premiere.
Boys and their families were also invited to donate online to Noah’s Ark, whose funding has suffered badly during the coronavirus crisis as normal fundraising events have been cancelled. They quickly raised £120, and donations have continued to flow in since.
Noah’s Ark helps seriously unwell children and their families make the most of the time they have together. The majority of the babies and children it supports are unlikely to reach their 18th birthday.
Rebecca Grundy, QE’s Head of Extra-curricular Enrichment, paid tribute to Aryan, to all the contributors, and especially to Charity Vice-Captains (prefects), Rukshaan Selvendira and Janujan Satchi. “Rukshaan and Janujan did a great job of organising it, and their efforts were amply rewarded when boys from all years of the School contributed an amazingly varied set of acts, displaying some great skills and (in some cases) previously hidden talents.”
Extra-Curricular Enrichment Tutor Micah King added: “We were delighted to be able to play our part in helping Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice at this particularly difficult time.
“The hospice is, after all, not only a very worthy cause, but also a neighbour – you can see its new building, The Ark, from the rugby pitches on our back field.”
Rukshaan was himself among the contributors, submitting a colourful audio-visual display, featuring electronic music, entitled Prospect.
The musical elements of the programme also featured speed tabla-playing by Isher Jagdev, the performance of an original song by guitarist Aadarsh Khimasia (pictured top), and other performances on instruments including the piano, guitar and drums, while Arjun Patel sang Brahm’s Wiegenlied (Lullaby).
There was magic, including the card tricks, and mind-reading, too. The current Year 8 was particularly strongly represented, with, for example, Ryuki Watanabe giving an Easy origami tutorial, Vedh Shashi telling jokes, and William Joanes donning theatrical costume to recite passages from Macbeth, directly from his kitchen.
Afterwards, one anonymous donor wrote on the Noah’s Ark website: “I wish the children in your care well and thank you for supporting them and their families. Their bravery inspires the boys at QE incredibly.”
Further donations may be made here.