Dearne Valley College Teams Turn £30 into £2,186 in Creative Challenge for Weston Park Cancer Charity! 

Students and staff at our College have embarked on an exciting and innovative fundraising initiative, partnering with the Weston Park Cancer Charity to turn a modest £30 which the Chairty lent the teams to kickstart their fundraising.

This Accumulator Challenge has seen five college subject areas – Health, FLEX, Sport, Construction, and Esports – each receive £30 with a mission to maximize their earnings within a 30-day timeframe.

The results have been nothing short of staggering, with the teams collectively raising an impressive £2,186! This fantastic achievement is a testament to the creativity, dedication, and entrepreneurial spirit of our College community.

Each team has embraced the challenge with distinct and imaginative fundraising activities: 

• Health has been a hive of activity, organising popular raffles that have extended beyond the College grounds, engaging a wider community in their fundraising efforts.

• FLEX have been busy working hard on setting a stall up in the Social Space where they sell craft items and other trinkets! Ebony Harrop one of our learners, has also been taken a trolley with goodies on it around to staffrooms and classrooms and has been an amazing salesperson! They have also been organising a raffle with amazing prizes that could be won!

• Sport did the classic sponge a tutor where they had all their favourite sports tutor’s line up and then fellow staff and students put funds forward to then be able to throw the sponges at staff! It was an afternoon full of fun and laughter to help raise money.

• Construction also took part in setting up a raffle.

• Esports joined forces for a fun-filled event, combining selling homemade chocolate chip cookies with the hilarious spectacle of throwing wet sponges, and pouring buckets of water at willing staff and students. This interactive approach proved incredibly popular.

Cara Murphy, Regional Fundraising Officer at Weston Park Cancer Charity said,

“We’re absolutely delighted that Dearne Valley College agreed to pilot our brand-new Accumulator Challenge campaign! It’s been a pleasure to see students unleash their entrepreneurial spirit and turn their initial £30 loans into an incredible £2186, all in just 30 days!

By taking part in the pilot, Dearne Valley College will inspire other schools and colleges to take on the challenge in the new academic year. We can’t thank all the students and staff enough for their amazing efforts, which helps us continue being ‘together at every step’ with cancer patients in our region.”

Debra Adams Director of Campus, Dearne Valley College said,

“Our students demonstrated real ingenuity and purpose in raising £2,186 through the Accumulator Challenge 2025. Their efforts directly support Weston Park Cancer Charity’s mission to help people live with and beyond cancer, turning £30 into meaningful impact within 30 days reflects the creativity, drive and community values we are proud to foster at Dearne Valley College.”

The funds raised will directly support Weston Park Cancer Charity’s vital work in providing care, support, and research for cancer patients and their families.

We are beyond proud to see just how much these dedicated teams and students have raised for this incredibly worthy cause. Our student’s success serves as a powerful reminder of the impact that community spirit and a little bit of healthy competition can have on making a real difference.