'Poop bingo' fundraiser returns to Market Harborough school - raising thousands for charity

Market Harborough Church of England Academy’s ‘Poop Bingo’ returned for the third year running, raising over £1,700 and tipping the yearly total to some £5,120.

This year, the PTFA (Parent, Teacher and Friends Association) arranged for Ariel – a 26-year-old Shetland pony – to visit the school, succeeding alpacas and a donkey in previous years.

Supporters were able to ‘buy a square’ of the marked-out school field for between £2.50 and £5 each in a bid to win £250 cash, the winner being whichever square the pony went to the toilet in.

And, this year, every purchase automatically entered buyers into a draw to win four return Eurostar tickets to Paris, Lille or Brussels.

Ticket winner Nadia Follon was overjoyed. She said: “We have family in Paris and will be using the tickets to go on a long overdue trip to see them.”

Other fundraising efforts organised by the academy’s PTFA this year included the annual Christmas Fayre, Teddy Zipline, Cinema Club and many other.

Previous fundraising has resulted in improvements to the school’s ‘Peace Garden’ - an outdoor quiet space in the centre of the school for both children and staff to use. Previously it had enabled new play equipment to be installed and this year it will be used to redevelop the Year One playground and improve the school’s technology.

This term, the PTFA were also awarded ParentKind’s ‘PTFA of the Year’ following its success in 2023.

PTFA chair Kimberley Russ said: “We are so proud to have won this award for the school and to be able to raise such a significant amount. We have an incredibly strong PTFA team with a lot of enthusiastic members and a wonderfully supportive relationship with staff, who all work together to ensure these events can take place. Our events are always well received and attended by our parent body, we are very grateful for their continued support.”

The PTFA has thanked sponsors Tax Assist Accountants, TGW Logistics & Wilten Construction as well as the Norton family for securing the pony and to Reece Watson of Borough Alliance Football Club for marking out the school field.