It’s been “Shark Week” at The Friary – Garrick (Sharks) House Week – and we have been raising money for our House charity, The British Lung Foundation, through a range of fun and exciting projects.
Students and parents have donated loads of cakes to sell at lunch time earlier in the week. Lots of students and tutors helped sell the cakes at lunch times raising lots of money and Ellie Tucker and mum need a special mention for their superb baking skills.
Having a house named after Sharks, we couldn’t try to fund raise without doing a sponsored swim. On Thursday lunchtime students raced against the clock to swim as many lengths as they could in a 10 minute period.  Emily Beddow, Lily Sperryn, Lucy Manning, Dominic Herbert, Jamie Richards, Penny Hurst, Greg Bilinski, Emily Lancaster and Tom Elmore all talked the talk and swam the swim. Greg Bilinski took the honours swimming an amazing 34 lengths.
Garrick students have been selling raffle tickets all week with prizes including chocolate, a Morrison’s voucher, tobogganing experience and a family ticket with hotel stay at Drayton Manor Park. The raffle is due to be drawn next week – so stay tuned to see if you have won. We would like to thank Morrison’s, Tamworth Snowdome and especially Drayton Manor Park for their kind donations for our raffle.
The main activity of the week has been ‘Garrick’s Got Talent’ hosted in the theatre at lunch time Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The theatre had plenty of staff and students on Wednesday and Thursday but for the final on Friday, with a special staff performance by Mr Cain and Mr Hood, the theatre was packed out completely. Bobby Clarkson and Connor Payne did their best impression of Ant and Dec in hosting the show each day; introducing the acts and entertaining the audience as well. The acts were Emelia Wood (solo singer), Isabella Keeling and Emma Brooke (duet), Lucy Manning (solo dance), Helena Sixsmith (piano), Rhian Price (solo singer), Jessica Hughes and Abi Elson (duet) and Dillon Morris (solo singer/guitar). The audience voted for the winning act each day. On Wednesday Isabella Keeling and Emma Brooke won through and they were up against Dillon Morris, the winner from Thursday. All acts across the two days were superb, but the finalists really did themselves proud with Dillon winning the audience over with a song he had written himself. I must compliment the audience who supported each and every act fully and a special mention must go to Mr Hood who helped set up all the instruments and backing tracks each day and without whom it simply would not have been possible to put on the show.
We will keep you appraised of the winners of the raffle early next week and with the total amount raised once all sponsor and raffle money has been handed in and counted.
Steve Cartner, Head of Garrick House, said: “I am really proud of all the students and staff who have made this week so successful and even though the timing, coming just after Christmas, I hope we can still beat Darwin from earlier in the year.”