These mums stepped in to organise a Year 11 prom after it was cancelled twice

Two of the mums who are organising the prom for The Academy, Selsey, Samantha Jones (left) and Annabelle Arnell (right) SUS-210730-082427001

Due to rising cases of COVID-19 in the town and school community, the end of year prom was cancelled, with the latest cancellation being July 22.

After a year of lockdowns, virtual learning and cancelled exams, the mums wanted to do something positive for the Year 11s.

Annabelle Arnell, one of the organisers, said: “These children have had a rotten time, they’ve had all this upheaval for the past 18 months, so we thought we would try and organise something.

A prom has been organised by three mums for Year 11s at The Academy, Selsey SUS-210730-082604001

“We set up a GoFundMe page, we’ve managed to get a venue, a local company is making a banner for us, we’ve got people doing advertising.

“What a wonderful community we’ve got, giving up their time and money to give the send off these kids deserve.”

The prom is set for Wednesday, August 11 at Selsey Golf Club.

Another organiser, Samantha Jones said: “We have a DJ, an inflatable photo booth, a barbecue. We’re making gift bags, and someone has donated 100 cupcakes.

“This year has been a lot of pressure for the students, parents, teachers and I think this will be a nice way to end it.”

Louise Aldous, another parent organiser said Year 11 students had an ‘awful’ time.

She said: “We want to do something special for them.

“We set the GoFundMe page at £500 and now its gone over £1,700.

“People have been so generous it’s amazing, we never thought we would raise that much money.”

Jo Ford, headteacher of The Academy, Selsey said: “We were devastated to cancel the prom for the second time, but with rising cases of Covid within the local area and school community, we were left with little option.

“We are thrilled that the amazing Selsey community and parents have yet again come together to support our students.

“We would like to thank them for stepping in to organise this evening which will enable our students to celebrate this significant life event at this time.

“After another challenging year staff are taking the opportunity to holiday with their family and friends but we are looking forward to inviting these students back to the Academy in early November to recognise their exam successes.”

If you would like to donate, visit: www.gofundme.com/f/acadamy-selsey-leavers-2021-prom