Former pupils back to do their cash trek
50 years on and annual sponsored walk still going strong
Former pupils of Dollar Academy are turning back time to raise funds for homeless charity Shelter.
Almost 50 years since they led their school in a sponsored walk to raise funds for the then fledging homelessness charity the group are headed back to their old “stomping ground” for another fundraising mission.
Now in their 60s, the FPs are again raising funds for Shelter Scotland, this time on its 50th anniversary.
The sponsored walk they inaugurated continues to this day raising funds for a variety of charities. Last time it was held it raised more than £54,000. This year members of the original organising committee and their family and friends will lead around 1,000 pupils on a 12-mile walk through the Ochil Hills on Friday, September 28.
One of the co-founders who organised the first walk in 1969, Stuart Twaddell, said there was a time when they thought they’d be walking out the door rather than into the school’s history books.
“We were greatly inspired by all the student demonstrations we’d seen on television throughout 1968 and as we were cooped up in a boarding school we were frustrated that we couldn’t be part of it.
“Then we watched the documentary play Cathy Come Home and became even angrier at the social injustice of slum housing. We were getting into a fair bit of trouble and to divert our frustration our young housemaster suggested we ask permission to hold a sponsored walk to raise money for Shelter, which was just getting set-up in Scotland at the time.
“To our great surprise the rector agreed and we spent a few months organising a route and raising money. In the summer term of 1969, we led the whole school of about four hundred pupils 20 miles along public roads and raised £2,200 which was a very significant sum in those days.”
Stuart added: “As Dollar Academy made the walk into a tradition we’ve decided to come back with some friends and family and take part once again. It’ll be a real honour to help lead the event and to help the school celebrate its 200th anniversary.”
Dollar Academy is marking its bicentennial, making it the UK’s oldest co-educational day and boarding school. The walk set-up by the pupils in 1969 ran every year for a while and then every two years raising funds for six charities on each occasion. This year Shelter Scotland will benefit once against as well as six other beneficiaries chosen by the school’s charities committee: the Uphill Trust, Mary’s Meals, Alzheimer Scotland, My Name’5 Doddie, CHAS and Seamab School.
Amelia Bryce, staff coordinator of the school’s charities committee, said: “We are especially pleased that Shelter Scotland, the charity we supported back in 1969, will be one of our beneficiaries again. Our pupils are very aware of how important it is to help others and how lucky they are to be able to do so.”
Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “It’s tremendous to see Stuart and his friends getting back together to help us in our 50th year. We at Shelter Scotland would all wish to be no longer necessary but sadly there is still a shortage of good quality affordable housing and we still rely on people being angry about that and channelling that anger into action that can make a difference. I’m extremely grateful to everyone at Dollar Academy for raising funds for us and hope this year’s walk is their best yet.”
Donate at http:// uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/ DollarAcademyFPwalker.