Jordanhill in Colour!!
If you’ve never seen a colour run before, it’s exactly as fun as it sounds! Pupils start in white t-shirts and make their way around the course, passing through colour stations along the way and getting showered in brightly coloured powder… and by the finish line they’re covered head to toe in a rainbow of colours! It’s all about taking part, having lots of fun and enjoying the moment together as a school community.
A HUGE thank you goes to our incredible PTA who have agreed to fund this exciting event!! Their support and generosity means that the cost of the coloured powder is completely covered and each child will also be issued with a plain white t-shirt and a pair of sunglasses.
This event is a fundraising event to raise money for Striving Higher, so we encourage all pupils to take on the challenge of either gathering sponsorship, whether that’s through family and friends or raising money via something creative like a bake sale! As the PTA are covering the cost of the event, every penny raised by our pupils will go straight back to funding the important activities and opportunities that all Jordanhill pupils from P1-S6 benefit from that government funding does not cover. Music, sport, art, trips, clubs, competitions, leavers activities and learning enrichment are all made possible because of Striving Higher. Every single donation makes a massive difference!
We have answers to lots of common questions below including what to wear below in our FAQs so please do make sure to read it!
The colour fun run in its first year this year will be for all P1-7 and S1 will “pilot” it for the senior school. Our aim is that, if the event is successful, it will become an exciting annual event for all of primary and all of secondary from next year onwards! Our wonderful P7 House Captains and S1 team have been working very hard with the Development Office to create this event and we can’t wait to see everyone come together for what promises to be a really special day!!
- What is a Colour Run? A Colour Run is a non-timed fun run where participants are showered with coloured powder at stations along the course. We appreciate that some children may prefer not to have colour thrown directly at them and there will be a track set up for them to participate if they want to, without running directly through the colour powder stations. There will still be colour powder in the air so they may still pick up colour on their clothes/ hair.
- Has this been done before? Yes, many schools use Colour Runs as Fundraisers including Primary schools in Scotland. Pupil and staff feedback has been incredibly positive!
- Who can take part in the run? The colour fun run in its first year will be for all P1-7 and S1 will “pilot” it for the senior school. Our aim is that, if the event is successful, it will become an exciting annual event for all of primary and all of secondary.
- How much does it cost? The event will cost around £3,500 which includes all the coloured powder, a white t-shirt and a pair of sunglasses for every participant. We are extremely grateful to our wonderful school PTA who have very kindly funded this event to make sure there are no registration fees to cover costs.
- Is this a fundraising event? Yes! This event will be a fun way to raise money for our Striving Higher programme. Striving Higher is a vital part of how we can fund our exceptional programmes in music, sports, art, clubs, primary projects and leavers events. There is no minimum donation or sponsorship required to participate but we kindly suggest each child aims to raise money through activities they enjoy such as bake sales or is sponsored to participate in the run by friends and family. A sponsorship link is available here https://jordanhillglasgow.enthuse.com/cf/jordanhillruntherainbow.
- What time and where will the run take place? The run will take place on the afternoon of Monday 22nd June. We plan to hold the run on the back pitches behind the refectory and the rugby pitch. The children will run in “waves” of their year group starting with infants and will be collected from school at their usual time. Children will not be permitted to leave once the run has finished. We will share a more detailed time schedule closer to the date as the detail will depend on participant numbers. Parents will be welcome to come and watch the event but please be aware that there will be residual colour powder in the air that may transfer to your clothes so do think about wearing old clothes. Please also note that unfortunately we cannot allow dogs to join their owners to watch the run!
- What will happen in the event of poor weather? We plan to still hold the Colour Run if there is light rain. In the event of heavy rain, wind and/or extremely adverse weather, the event will be postponed and rescheduled to the start of the new school term in August.
- Where did you buy the colour powder form and what’s in it? We have sourced our powder within the UK by Event Colour(www.eventcolour.co.uk). They are the only UK manufacturer of ‘holi powder’ and are a highly reputable supplier. The powder is EN71 certified, non-toxic and biodegradable. It’s made from cornflour and the colour is made from cosmetic dyes (non-animal tested) or food colourants (non-animal tested) the powders are also both gluten free and vegan friendly.
- How is the colour powder administered? The course will have stations where volunteers will shower participants with colour by throwing the powder from paper cups. The colour will be aimed from the neck down. Our outgoing P7 children will help with the warmups for the younger children and the powder throwing. When it is the turn of P7 to run, powder will be administered by teachers and parent helpers.
- What should participants wear? We will be providing each child with a white t-shirt to show off the colour and a pair of sunglasses to shield their eyes. Old shorts, socks, and shoes are also a good idea as they may get colour powder on these too. Children might also want to wear a hat to cover their hair. If children could wear their colour run clothes to school on the day they can change into the white t-shirt before the run. Also, we strongly advise participants to use eye protection. The most effective protection is swimming goggles, but the sunglasses provided can also be used. If you wish your child to wear swimming goggles these will have to be brought in from home. You might also want to have an old towel handy for children to sit on if you’re travelling in a car after the event!
- Can I set the colour on clothes to keep as a memento? Yes, this is indeed a ‘thing’! You can ‘set’ the colours by spraying clothing with white vinegar (not white wine vinegar) and then iron in the colour by placing a sheet of grease proof paper between the t-shirt and the iron or place the t-shirt in a tumble drier. This will semi-fix the powder into the item of clothing. Please note that the colour will fade overtime.
- Can I wash colour powder out of my hair? Yes, it is recommended to rinse hair with tepid water first to remove as much as possible, then wash as normal using shampoo. You can also use a leave in conditioner/oil before the event to help create a barrier between the colour powder and children’s hair. Alternatively, children can wear a hat!
- Why do I have to register that my child is participating? If your child(ren) is participating in the run you will need to register them so we can account for staffing and volunteer numbers as well as the purchase of correct numbers of colour powder, t-shirts and sunglasses.
- Can I help on the day? Yes please! We will need parent volunteers to support the event in a variety of roles from stewarding to powder throwing. If you have been PVG checked by Jordanhill school and you would like to volunteer, please contact Jill Robinson jo_robinsonj@jordanhill.glasgow.sch.uk
What if my child is attending JOSS after school? We would ask that any children attending JOSS on Friday 11th August after the run bring spare clothes to change into and a separate bag to put their colour run clothes in after they have done the run.
Is there anything else I should know? This is the first Colour Run to be held at Jordanhill School. We want to thank everyone who has helped us to bring the event to life, especially our wonderful PTA and our P7 House Captains and we very much hope that the children have loads of fun. Our aim, if the event is successful, is to use this as an annual, end of term event to raise money for Striving Higher and finish the school year on a fantastically positive note, creating memories and joy.
If you have any feedback, or have a business and would like to consider sponsoring the cost of this event in the future please contact our Director of Development, Jill Robinson on jo_robinsonj@jordanhill.sch.uk.
Striving Higher is Jordanhill School’s way of making sure our pupils get more than just the basics. While government funding covers core lessons, it doesn’t pay for many of the experiences that make school exciting, memorable and truly enriching.
That’s where Striving Higher comes in.
It helps fund a huge range of opportunities across the school. In primary, this includes things like music, sports, shows and concerts, visits from Scottish Opera, hands-on projects such as Living Eggs and mini beasts, baking activities, P1–4 masterclasses, maths challenges, trips to places like Whitelee Windfarm and the Riverside Museum, and lunch clubs.
In secondary, it supports music, sports, prizegiving and awards, concerts, reading initiatives, UK wide competitions, a huge variety of lunch clubs such as crafts, art, chess, coding, dungeons and dragons, French films and trips such as Raasay and the Duke of Edinburgh Award, leavers’ activities, inter disciplinary learning fortnight and much more.
These experiences bring learning to life, build confidence, spark new interests and feel connected to their school community. They are not “extras”, they are a vital part of what helps our pupils thrive.
Quite simply, without Striving Higher, these opportunities wouldn’t happen. That’s why support from our school community is so important, it makes a real difference to every pupil, every day.
Thank you to everyone for supporting Striving Higher, we are so grateful, we couldn’t do it without you.