OGA Students Team Up With Charity To Help Children In Sri Lanka

Students from a secondary school in Wakefield have formed a link with Sri Lankan students as part of their efforts to help cricket-focused charity, Ceylon Cricket Foundation.

The students, from Outwood Grange Academy’s Sixth Form, are hosting a number of fundraising events as part of their efforts to raise money for a school in Sri Lanka, Bollegala Maha Vidyalaya. The link has been formed thanks to the work of Outwood student, Alex Brown.

The money raised by the students will go directly to the school and helps to fund different cricket equipment and coaching courses for the teachers there due to the fact that cricket is the most popular sport in Sri Lanka.

The recent major challenge event saw a team of 10 students from the Potovens Lane-based academy, as well as some staff members, completing the distance of 438km. This is the same distance from the highest point of Sri Lanka, Point Pedro, to the lowest point, Point Dondra. 

To work their way to the target distance, the team of students and staff covered the kilometres by either cycling, running and rowing. 

Alex, who is studying BTEC National Extended Diploma in Sport, said:

“Sport has always been a huge passion of mine and I am aware of how lucky I have been to be able to play as much sport as I do. Not everyone is so lucky.

“Through my work with the Ceylon Cricket Academy, where I work as a coach in my spare time, I learned that the academy’s foundation helps raise money to help support deprived children in underdeveloped communities in Sri Lanka.

 “So in order to increase the awareness of the Ceylon Cricket Foundation, my classmates and I decided to create a link with a school in Sri Lanka in order to support the education of the students, by raising money through our fundraising challenge.”

Another of the events held was the ‘Great Outwood Bake Off’, which saw both students and teachers spending some quality time in the kitchen baking cakes and puddings which were then sold off as part of the fundraising.

Sheriden Hutchinson-Jones, Principal at Outwood Grange Academy, said:

“We are so proud of Alex for what he is doing. It is inspiring to witness his actions and his great desire to help others who are less fortunate than him.

“I would encourage anyone who can, please do donate to help these students because they are working tirelessly to achieve their goals.”

The Ceylon Cricket Foundation was founded in 2017 and aspires to help turn the dreams of young Sri Lankan cricketers into reality, finding those hidden talents and giving them the chance to play, prosper and follow their dreams.

The money raised by the students will help the charity to support the school in providing basic sporting equipment, specifically cricket equipment and the education of staff, which will enable the students to access high quality cricket lessons within their curriculum .
Anyone wishing to donate can do so by visiting the Just Giving page that has been set up: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/outwood-grange-academy-ceylonfoundation