Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

The charity exists to provide opportunities for students at the Duchess’s Community High School that support their well-being and give them a boost to help them reach their full potential.

Katherine Williams, chair of the charity’s board of trustees, explains: “The new name highlights both the focus of the charity as well as the collaborative effort between all the various interest groups that makes it successful – trustees, volunteers, staff, parents, students, our local businesses and the wider community.

"In a nutshell it is about – Building Opportunities for Our Students Together (BOOST).”

A number of activity clubs are sponsored by BOOST during the lunch break.

One of the reasons for the change was to give the charity its own identity.

While it is focused on supporting students at the Alnwick school, it is run by a board of trustees independently of the school.

The charity’s new look will give more clarity about how it operates as well as what it achieves.

Over the past three years, the charity has raised more than £100,000 to support lunchtime clubs, breakfast Grab n Go, DCHS Pride, cultural experiences, sporting activities, specialist sexual health advice, mental health support, Open Book Project and much more.

The Breakfast Club has evolved to a “Grab ‘n Go” breakfast for any student who has not had the opportunity to have breakfast before arriving for school.

Duchess’s Community High School has the second biggest catchment area in England and this brings challenges for its students. As the only voluntary sector organisation offering activities that support almost every secondary aged young person in this vast area, the charity’s trustees are passionate about finding ways to deliver services and activities that would otherwise be unavailable in our rural communities.

Project ideas come from staff/and or students and are reviewed by the co-headteachers to ensure they align with the ethos and goals of the school. Thereafter, it is up to the trustees to raise funds to make the project happen.

To learn more about the charity and how it operates, visit the new website at www.boost-dchs.org or find @BoostDCHS on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn. If you would like to volunteer, donate, or promote your business by funding a project, please email the charity at [email protected]

BOOST for Alnwick students as charity gets a new name