By
Sarah Johnson
WHEN Morgan Academy in Dundee decided to raise money for our appeal they drafted in the help of some model pupils — and then asked them to make a right show of themselves.
 By organising a fashion show the school pupils — aged between 11 and
18 — have made sure The Sunday Post Children’s Hospital appeal is very much en vogue this season, darling.
 And in making it fashionable to support us they raised a stunning
£1200.
The school’s charity
co-ordinator and physical education teacher Maureen Beat said, “The pupils chose the charity because of your article highlighting the story of Sophie Shand, the little girl from Portlethen who has been treated at Royal Aberdeen Children’s
Hospital (right).
 “We have an S5 pupil also called Sophie Shand
(left) and when she read about her little namesake she was determined we should do something to help her and other children like her.
Sophie (16) said, “Mrs Beat brought the article into school and after reading about Sophie I said we definitely had to do something to help raise money.”
Character
Sophie, who Maureen described as quite a character in the school, said,“The school organises a charity fashion show every year, although this was the first year I took part. Each group had to practise their own routine and choose their music.
“We chose the old Donna Summer hit
Hot Stuff, getting together to practise at lunchtime for a couple of weeks before.
“It was great fun and we were happy to raise money
to help sick children across Scotland.”
Maureen admitted, “It was
a major production, and not just a case of getting pupils to walk in a straight line down a catwalk. We had to arrange the music and choreograph routines as well as set up the school hall, promote the event and sell 400 tickets.”
With nearly 100 pupils taking part Maureen was faced with a mission that required military precision.
She said, “It took two months to organise but I had plenty of support from other members of staff, and the sixth year was fantastic doing a power of work.
“The biggest problem was getting companies to lend us clothes, although George At Asda, New Look and D2 were very supportive.”
Teachers
Even the teachers threatened to give Kate Moss a run for her Gucci handbag. “We had a wedding scene
(above) with the teachers taking part as wedding guests. I guess I must have been the mother of the bride,” she laughed.
“One of our sixth-year girls was the bride. Her boyfriend was supposed to be the groom but he plays hockey for Scotland and the dates clashed so we had to find a willing volunteer to marry her instead,” Maureen joked.
So how do you convince a group of adolescent boys to dress up and strike a pose on the catwalk? Maureen said, “The younger boys weren’t so keen, with more girls taking part but the fourth-year girls were more persuasive and although the boys remained reluctant initially, they soon realised nothing was beyond their capabilities.
 “And the boys in the sixth form all seemed quite happy to take part,” she laughed.
“A group of our Asian pupils performed using their own
clothes (left) , which was beautiful.”
Sell-out
The fashion show was a sell-out success and already the pupils have started asking Maureen when they can organise a follow-up.
“I’ve told them I’ll think about it,” she smiled.
“It was a lovely way of getting the whole school to work together.”
We’d like to thank the
staff and pupils for helping us to help children across Scotland get the treatment they desperately need.
They’re all supermodels
in our eyes.
 IF YOU have a special reason for contributing to or raising funds
for our appeal then we’d like to hear from you. It could be that you’d like to thank caring staff for the treatment they’ve provided in your hour of need.
Or perhaps a relative spent time in one of Scotland’s children’s hospitals and the experience has left a lasting impression
on your family’s life.
Whatever the reason, please let us know.
We’d be delighted to share your experiences with our readers.
And, who knows, it may inspire others to follow in your
fundraising footsteps.
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