Meaningful and memorable Phab journey for St Helen’s girls…

For over 45 years, St Helen’s School together with Merchant Taylors’ have run a residential Phab week for teenagers aged 14-18 with physical and mental disabilities, providing a great variety of exciting opportunities, activities and entertainment, planned and implemented by dedicated staff and Sixth Form students. It also provides crucial respite for the guests’ long-term carers. This unique residential week takes place on the Merchant Taylors’ school site and in and around London.

Throughout the year the Phab team held events to raise over £20,000 to finance the entire week, enabling anyone to apply, irrespective of cost. Some of the events that took place were candy canes sales; Calendar Sale; Mufti Day; a Hindu society Garba night and a 10km sponsored walk. Phab Week 2019 was packed with activities that included bowling, horse-riding, a theatre trip to see “Wicked” in London, an afternoon of entertainment with Electric Guitar, and lots more.

We are particularly proud that Mrs Cawthorne has been awarded the position of Trustee for Phab UK this year, in recognition of her tireless efforts on behalf of Phab. It is especially fitting that in our anniversary year, Phab Club opened in its new home at St Helen’s, attended by the Mayor. Phab Club is a co-curricular option offered to Years 10 and 11 consisting of around 28 girls and boys from St Helen’s and Merchant Taylors’ and runs fortnightly after school.

Phab is a celebration of individuality, it is an array of incredible people who are completely different to each other and came together as the Phab family. The week was possibly the best, most overwhelming, worthwhile thing, I have ever done. We made so many memories. Sixth Former