‘Headgearing up’ for Wear a Hat Day at independent school near Buckingham

Beachborough Prep School in Westbury will once again be celebrating Wear A Hat Day in aid of local charity Brain Tumour Research.

This year’s Wear a Hat Day will take place on Friday, March 31, and Beachborough has supported the event since it began in 2009, raising more than £18,000 for the charity for research into brain tumours.

Beachborough’s entire school community gets involved in the fundraiser, with momentum building for a couple of weeks beforehand through the sale of Brain Tumour Research pin badges. A limited-edition pair of commemorative crown badges, to help mark the coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort, are among designs added this year.

Teacher Sally Gross, who co-ordinates the school’s charity events and has experienced a brain tumour diagnosis within her own family, said: “The badges have become a real collectable for our children. Our school age ranges from two and a half to 13 and during the build-up to Wear A Hat Day, all of them are allowed to wear pin badges on their jumpers, which is very exciting and special because it’s not usual for them to be able to wear anything on their uniforms.”

On the day itself, cakes are sold at pick-up times and staff and pupils arrive wearing a hat of their choice, which they model during a whole-school assembly.

Sally said: “Everybody takes part in it, from cleaners, teachers and the chefs to the children themselves and the parents who drop them off. They can be as imaginative as they want and there’s a great deal of excitement as it’s the last day of term.

“There’s also a grand bake sale and at about 9.30am the whole school comes together for an outdoor assembly. The children put on a massive parade and the headteacher and I talk about the charity and the need to raise awareness of it.”

She added: “We try to be as original and creative as we can. The parents are supportive, incredibly generous and it’s a lovely way to start the last day of term. It’s one of the special events in our whole school calendar.

“We’ve gone from raising hundreds of pounds to raising thousands, which is amazing. Throughout March this year, we’d like to try and raise enough money to sponsor a day of research.

“Unfortunately, there are just too many people being diagnosed with brain tumours and, when it affects your family, the fight to make a difference becomes a lifetime commitment.”

The theme of this year’s Wear A Hat Day is to ‘look super for science’. People are invited to pop on a hat, make a donation and take a selfie to share on social media using #WearAHatDay. To take part as a community, school or workplace, visit www.braintumourresearch.org/fundraise/wear-a-hat-day

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, find a cure.