ACS International Schools’ Charity Gala hits the high note

ACS International Schools’ inaugural Charity Gala has raised £64,000 to help more young people gain access to its renowned international educational programmes at ACS Cobham, Egham and Hillingdon, and develop inspiring learning spaces for its students. Funds will give more young people access to ACS’s international education programmes and help create inspiring learning spaces.

Almost 350 parents and alumni from ACS’s global community attended the Gala at London’s Guildhall on 2 March and it was the first major fundraising event since ACS became a fully registered UK charity in 2018.

The funds raised will help support bursaries and scholarships for students who would otherwise be unable to attend the schools and create state-of-the-art learning facilities. This is in addition to what ACS already invests across its schools.

At the heart of the evening’s celebrations was a lively programme featuring the musical talent of current students including ACS Cobham’s jazz band, The Messengers, and performances from students Kai Yamazaki and Yuki Zhang, aged 17, who duetted on violin and piano.

A group of younger students from ACS Egham delivered a mesmerising array of songs from The Lion King, while ACS Hillingdon alumnus, Moji Ohunbanjo, gave a rousing saxophone performance.

Pianist, Yuki Zhang, commented:

I was very excited about performing with Kai at the Guildhall which is such an iconic and historic space. It was an honour to represent ACS on such a special evening and the acoustics on the stage were incredible.

Guests bid for a range of lots in a live and silent auction including breakfast at Tiffany’s flagship store in New York; a behind-the-scenes visit to the filming of TV series, Marcella, and a tennis racquet used by Novak Djokovic in his 2019 record-breaking seventh Australian Open win.

Tim Cagney, Chief Executive, ACS International Schools, said:

“This was a fantastic night which truly highlighted our commitment to global citizenship and extending our renowned international education to talented young people who would otherwise be unable to come to our schools.

“We have exciting plans to enhance facilities across our campuses, helped enormously by the generosity of our guests who share our vision, to benefit the learning experience of our students now and for decades to come.”