It was an article in ‘The Petersfield Post’ that caught the eye of many of us at Churcher’s. The Butser Hill Challenge, a major event in the calendar for the last 25 years, was facing closure, not because of a lack of interest but because of a lack of a sponsor.

At Churcher’s College, we try to be as proactive as possible in our efforts to be involved in the community, and the town of Petersfield especially. For us, education is much more than just what happens between 9.00 am and 4.00 pm within the grounds of a school. So much more can be gained by placing what you learn in context but also so much can be achieved by giving as well as absorbing.

And so we could not miss the opportunity for the pupils of Churcher’s College to become the ‘rescuers’ of such a major community project such as the Butser Hill Challenge. Ultimately, the Challenge is more than just physical. Through sponsorship, competitors hopefully will raise funds for the Rocky Appeal for the new cancer unit at the QA Hospital in Portsmouth. The pupils hope that every £1 they raise towards the sponsorship of the event will translate, through competitor donations, to £4 or £5 for the Rocky Appeal.

The pupils have been working hard to raise the funds they need to provide as sponsors but they are, and will be, involved in a host of other ways. As budding graphic designers, IT experts, communication consultants, PR and Marketing executives, they hope they can give much more to the event which, in its Jubilee Year, deserves all the support it can get from the community as a whole, which, of course, includes us at Churcher’s College.

Simon Williams
Headmaster