Past Appeals

The Difference You Make

Hirst Centre

The Hirst Centre, named in honour of Christopher & Sara Hirst, was completed in 2018 as part of a £3.6 million development and has become a valued resource for the School. The facility provides indoor playing facilities for netball, tennis, basketball, badminton, and indoor football and hosts a well-equipped gym, hospitality suite, changing rooms and medical room. It is built with sensitivity to its environment, with a curved grass-roof and stone cladding, to blend with Sedgwick Hill. The Centre is also used as a venue for performances and gala dinners.

COVID-19 Hardship Appeal

The aim of this appeal was to support Sedberghians with emergency grants to cover fees, supplies, and general financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds raised throughout 2020 for the Hardship Fund were disbursed well into 2020-21. We were able to:

Offer financial assistance to pupils who would otherwise have to leave the Schools
Increase our delivery services of essential items to members of the Sedbergh community who are self-isolating
Donate items of PPE to local care homes
Liaise with local shops to begin a remote payment system for deliveries and self-isolators.
Donate £5,000 to the Sedbergh United Charities, which disburses grants for projects and to individuals in our local area relating to COVID-19

School Chapel Lighting

Donors raised £52,000 for vital lighting works in our School Chapel and in 2020 new lighting was installed. Particular thanks to an OS member of the 1525 Society who matched the £52,000 raised to ensure the full £100,000 project could still be fully funded. The difference to Evensong lighting is extraordinary!

Play To Learn Fund at Casterton

The Prep School site was designed for ‘Senior School use’ and as such, much of the outdoor space was not laid out with young children in mind. Play is a critical element of learning development and active outdoor sessions form a large part of a Sedberghian’s journey. The Foundation was able to fund the first project – resurfacing Top Lawn so that the climbing frame can be used all year round. The project was completed in 2021.

Lupton Memorial Terrace

In 2022 a much-needed private outdoor space was created for Lupton House for pupils to relax and socialise. The garden creates a space for mindfulness and reflection, offering a quiet space for pupils to pause, process emotions, and recharge. The terrace is also a memorial space for Old Luptonian Joelle Welsh (L 15-20) who sadly passed away in 2021, creating a space of meaning that helps with grief and remembrance.

Newfield Hockey Centre

In 2023 Sedbergh School introduced two new all-weather TigerTurf Evo Pro hockey pitches behind the Hirst Centre, both outfitted with LED lighting and designed to limit light spillage. These pitches are part of a £1.7m development, overseen by Surfacing Standards, built to the highest standards and certified by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). One pitch is also equipped with a state of the art Spiideo camera system comprised of four surrounding cameras which can both stream match play and be used for live analysis by coaches on the field.

Beyond giving Sedbergh enhanced training facilities, Newfield will also host regional hockey matches and be available to local clubs, strengthening the School’s role in the wider hockey community. This new facility marks a major step forward in the School’s hockey ambitions, expanding opportunities for players at all levels.

Green Investment Fund

In 2024, there was a boarding house window conversion to energy efficient windows with double glazing and insulation so less heat is lost in winter, and less heat gained in summer.

Campus-wide lighting was converted to more efficient LED systems in 2023, halving power usage.

Sedbergh School’s historic buildings have older structures, and careful upgrading is important to both preserve character and improve efficiency.

Sedbergh School wants to act as a “green leader” to influence students and the local community, and to show what is possible for environmental action.

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