Three Performing Arts students at King James I Academy have raised £350 for the British Thyroid Foundation by organising a ‘Just Dance’ marathon in school.

YoYo C, Lexi H-S and Mar G-S, who are all in Sixth Form at the Academy, chose to fundraise for the charity which supports people of all ages who are affected by thyroid disease. Following conversations with their friends, the trio discovered that there is a real lack of awareness about thyroid disorders, yet they are far more common than most realise. 1 in 20 people in the UK have a thyroid problem and many of their peers at school had a family member or friend with a thyroid condition that poses serious implications for their physical, mental and emotional life. Because of this, they wanted to show their support by raising money to help the charity continue its good work.

Inspired by their lessons, the students came up with the idea to host a sponsored dance marathon using the ‘Just Dance’ video game as a digital choreographer, and throughout the event they were joined intermittently by Sixth Form friends who were keen to show their support in between lessons.

This is just one of the many successful fundraising events that the Academy has hosted since September for a variety of both national and local charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, Children in Need, The Angel Trust, West Auckland Foodbank and Feeding Families.