Everyday Heroes: The pupils of Perth Academy going head-to-head for cancer research

The competitive spirit is high at Perth Academy as the student body dedicates its annual fundraising efforts to Ninewells Cancer Campaign (NCC). We caught up with House Captains and Vice Captains. Sean, Loren, Olivia, and Riley, who explain why they’re focusing on cancer research, and reveal the creative ways they plan to win the fierce House competition! 

To get started, can you please tell us a bit about yourselves and what are you raising money for? 

We are the pupil leadership team for Birnam House at Perth Academy.  Our House Captains are Sean Jamieson Braid and Loren Baird, and our Vice-Captains are Olivia Elford and Riley Appleyard. We’re all working together to lead Birnam House’s fundraising efforts.

Perth Academy pupils voted for Ninewells Cancer Campaign (NCC) as the School’s chosen charity for the 25/26 year. NCC is a new initiative for the school, as previously funds had been raised for the same group of mainly Perth-based charities.

The School is structured into three houses: Atholl, Birman and Clunie. Each House will fundraise in different ways for NCC. The House that raises the most money will get the greatest number of house points. It’s a fierce competition!

What was it about Ninewells Cancer Campaign that really inspired you to dedicate your time and effort to fundraise for it? 

Sean: The amount of time and effort that goes into helping people at Ninewells is amazing. I’ve seen it first-hand when I’ve fundraised previously for them. It’s the main go-to hospital for cancer treatment in Tayside.

Olivia: Yes, Sean’s family has a very strong connection with Ninewells as his grandfather had recently been treated there. Because of that, his family has done a lot of fundraising previously for NCC, so we were aware of all this research happening so close to us. We wanted this year’s charity to focus specifically on cancer research, so that’s why we were so pleased that the School voted for NCC! 

We'd love to hear more about the activities that you’re planning! 

We had a bake sale last term, so we have already raised a pot of money. This term, we are hoping to do a Staff Talent Competition. That should be fun! Some teachers have already indicated they would be up for that, with one even offering to sing! In the past, the teachers have been very supportive and signed up for talent contests and karaoke!

Usually, what happens is the House Captains pick a fundraising activity, and it’s a competition between the Houses to see which one raises the highest amount. All of the money will go to NCC. We also want to fundraise at home and encourage parents to contribute. Our teachers and fellow pupils have been very happy this year with our choice of charity as it’s different to causes that we’ve fundraised for before.

What is your fundraising goal, and how will reaching your target help NCC?

Our goal is primarily to raise more awareness about NCC around the school. We are raising awareness not just amongst the pupils but also the teachers and support staff, and also to their families and friends. It’s a real community-wide initiative.

Why do you think community efforts are such a powerful way to support NCC?

The school roll here is roughly 1200 students, so that’s quite a big network when you count pupil’s families and friends. That can have a lot of impact. We hope to put out more videos online like the one we did to get Ninewells Cancer Campaign chosen. 

Sean: I do a lot of work with the Performance Arts Department and we’re used to producing our own fundraising videos. I seem to have developed a bit of a name in the school for producing these sorts of videos for posting online. It’s good fun!

What’s one simple piece of advice you’d give to someone else who is thinking about starting their own fundraising idea?

Sean: You have to really shout loud about it – the more people that know what you are trying to do, the better.

Olivia: I would also say be sure of yourself, and why you are championing this particular cause. You have to convince those who are undecided.