Jersey College for Girls has raised over £4,400 for the Bailiff’s Ukraine Appeal. The Summer Concert, the first one in nearly three years, raised £534, whilst kind donations from parents of the College community helped raise an additional £3,900 for the appeal, which was launched in early March to help those affected by the war in Ukraine.

The concert, which featured a mixture of singers and instrumentalists, marked a very much welcome return of music in the College. It included a Ukrainian folk song about spring recently adapted by Head of Music John Bowley and we were honoured to have a Ukrainian national speak to the audience during the concert. 

John Bowley said: “It was wonderful to be able to hold a concert with a real audience, and not through the internet. This fact alone made the evening very special, and the atmosphere really was extraordinary, with every person in the hall celebrating the return of live music and the joy it brings. That we had missed it was an understatement, and having students of all ages back on stage performing together was truly joyous.”

The College also supported an appeal from the local Polish society by collecting clothing, toiletries and other necessary items. 

Principal Carl Howarth commented: “We have, very recently, welcomed a refugee from Ukraine into our College and to hear her family, at our concert, describe their horror and confusion of the invasion mixed with the love and kindness of people was deeply poignant. Like our island, our College has a big heart ready to give.”