Charities | Epsom College
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Epsom College was built on the values of benevolence and excellence, and we are as committed to these values today as our founder was in 1855. Our charitable work, including timetabled service to the community, provides support to those who need it – both close to home and overseas.

Much of this work is pupil-led. They chair the committees, set the agendas and choose the charities we support. The attitudes that pupils develop while at school will remain with them throughout their adult lives, and we take this responsibility seriously. Through our charity work we foster a culture in which our pupils appreciate their responsibility to, and links with, other members of their community and the wider society.

Overseas Aid

Over recent years our pupils have funded numerous initiatives across the world.

In the early 2000s, our pupils raised almost half of the £75,000 needed to rebuild a school destroyed in war-torn Kosovo. Our pupils’ fundraising efforts proved so vital to the project’s success that the school was named The Epsom College School of Kopiliq.

But the work didn’t stop there. In subsequent years, the College has helped purchase a farm for street children in Rio de Janeiro; and raised vital funds for an eye hospital in India, which restores the sight of patients unable to afford this life-changing surgery. A group of pupils recently visited the hospital to support the work of the surgeons and see first-hand how the money would be put to use.

Closer to Home

In addition to charity work overseas, we have supported local charities in their crucial work in a huge number of fields: cancer, homelessness, children with brain injuries, food banks, mental health and – more recently – the fight against Covid.

Annually, we support initiatives to provide toys and gifts to disadvantaged young people at Christmas. To date, we have put presents under the trees of more than 8,000 families. A small part of the most recent collection is pictured here.

Similarly, our Harvest Festival charity drive generates vanloads of donations for the Epsom and Ewell Foodbank. While our Covid-19 campaign raised more than £20,000 to develop the UK’s first NHS Seacole Centre. This centre – based at the nearby Headley Court – helps to rehabilitate patients suffering from the acute effects of Covid.

Service to the Community

A huge amount of our charitable work happens when our pupils take part in our award-winning service programme. Over 60% of our Sixth Form volunteer within the local community each week. The sessions are built into their timetable – meaning that we can provide focused and truly valuable time to our service partners.

Each year, we are able to volunteer around 8,500 hours to local schools, hospitals, care homes and community projects. This equates to £40,742 of social value, based on data from the Office for National Statistics.

Prior to the pandemic, we had piloted a service programme for our youngest pupils. This is being revived and we will see Years 7 and 8 with their own community volunteering programme, during the Summer Term.

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