ZELLA COMPTON: Hats off to teenagers for how they raise charity cash

Remember when you were a child and you did a sponsored swim, or a sponsored silence?
Portsmouth Roller Wenches in actionPortsmouth Roller Wenches in action
Portsmouth Roller Wenches in action

This question is really directed to people of about 40 and over – you’ll see why in a moment.

Recall that sheet of paper which the school handed out, which you asked people to fill in and tick their names (there it is – pre-technology)? You were really, really pleased if you managed to raise £5, weren’t you?

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Well, times have changed and now schools are asking students to raise thousands for charity.

For example, the local senior school offers the chance to go to Malawi for the sum of £1,800.

That’s a whopper of a figure – which I am not disputing by the way. I am simply reflecting on the difficulties of garnering that much money, especially when many students in the community are trying to raise the same amount.

And, as we’re all holding on to our purse strings a little tighter and watching the pennies stream out as food prices rise slowly but surely (the price of butter – my goodness), it can be quite hard to find any money for extra spending.

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We were invited to a fundraising quiz night last weekend. It was great fun. I do like a quiz which, when asking random questions about M&M consumption or the numbers of puppies born per hour in America, gives you a choice of answers so that you have a one in three chance of getting it right.

More challenging was the round on raising and breeding livestock, which didn’t offer A, B and C.

Who knew the average daily milk production of cows across the EU? Not me. Nor was I that excellent at how many eggs a hen should lay a year to be classed as a good layer, or the strict definition of a capon.

I managed a magnificent one correct answer for the team in that round – knowing what a Ferguson was.

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There was an auction too, a game of heads and tails and a raffle and so much action and laughter that we forgot how long we’d been there.

Hats off to all those teenagers who come up with ways to raise money and drag people out to take part in events.

LET PEOPLE KNOW WHEN THEIR CLOTHES ARE NOT CLOTHES AT ALL

I was intrigued to read that United Airlines is banning leggings on its flights, asking young women to change before coming on board.

It now appears it’s only a select few who have to dress appropriately (those on discounted tickets as they’re friends and family of staff).

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Whatever, it made me laugh a little as I would quite like to ban some leggings from public view.

You know, the ones where you can see peoples’ pants through them, the ones which are sold as leggings but are actually tights and the ones where everything is still visible.

Do yourself, your friends, your family and the wider public a favour and please let people know, gently, when their clothes are not actually clothes at all.

ROLLER SKATING DAUGHTER CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THE NEXT MATCH

My youngest daughter is obsessed with her roller skates and has been desperate to join a roller derby team for about two years (since watching Whip It, a cracking little film about the sport).

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Unfortunately, and yet equally fortunately, she can’t join a team until she’s 18 as it’s a dangerous sport (seriously, they have ‘suicide’ seats at these events, the ones where spectators are likely to be taken out if they’re not wide awake).

But last weekend she got to see it live for the first time at Havant, with the Portsmouth Roller Wenches.

Cheap, cheerful, sponsored by Nandos and with umpire names such as Scrim Reaper, she can’t wait for another open home match.

According to her, the team is excellent...

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