Head takes charity kidnap to heart

27th November 2009

Assembly was certainly memorable for students of Wolverhampton Grammar School this week after the Head was kidnapped in the middle of his morning address. Thankfully, the ‘kidnap plot’, which saw Mr Darby being taken off the school premises by two masked ‘intruders’, was part of a national fundraising campaign led by parents and students.

“Kidnap4charity came about  in order to raise money for the British Heart Foundation,” explains  Melissa Grantham-Wright, whose children Henry and Pippi attend the Compton based school. “Unfortunately my father died of heart disease a year ago this month and I wanted to do something in his memory which would support an organisation that does so much to combat this condition.”

Along with another WGS parent, Maxine Laceby, Melissa will be undertaking a fundraising trek to Nepal next March to take part in a white water raft down the Tamur river. The two adventurers are currently looking for sponsors for the trip.  

“We wanted to do something that would raise both money and awareness and the idea of kidnapping head teachers seemed the perfect way of doing this. For weeks leading up the kidnap we have been selling wristbands with the proceeds all going to support the two charities involved.” continues Melissa. “Everyone at WGS has been really supportive and the students have really got behind the scheme to kidnap their Head. Things have gone so well in fact that Mr Darby’s capture is the first in a series of kidnappings planned for schools around the country.” 

The links with the grammar school enabled some of the money raised to go to support WGS’s partner school in Uganda: Lords Meade Vocational College in Jinga enables some of the poorest and most disadvantaged students in the country to receive an education and WGS has been supporting it through gap year work programmes and fundraising events for the past five years.

Though unavailable for interview due to being held in a top secret location by the kidnappers, Vincent Darby did manage to smuggle out this comment: “WGS always does its utmost to support charities such as these two excellent causes, and despite the ‘hardships’ they have put me through, I am happy to be enduring this kidnapping in order to support both the British Heart Foundation and Lords Meade College.”
 
Melissa Grantham Wright and Maxine Laceby’s trip to the Tamur River Nepal will take place 9th to 24th March 2010 . Further information and details of how you can support the trip can be found at www.justgiving.com/projectkidnap.

Further information WGS’s support for Lords Meade vocational College can be found on the school website: www.wolverhamptongrammarschool.com/Already-at-WGS/Our-links-with-Uganda/