Action Foundation is honoured to be the chosen charity for this year’s Culture Festival at Royal Grammar School Newcastle (RGS) – a vibrant, student-led celebration of diversity, creativity and connection. 

Now in its second year, RGS’s Culture Festival has grown into a much-anticipated event on the school calendar, bringing students and staff together to share and honour cultural traditions from around the world.

This year, for the first time, the school added a fundraising element, with all proceeds going to support Action Foundation and our work with refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants across the North East. 

One of the most exciting initiatives of the festival is the creation of an RGS Culture Festival Cookbook, collecting recipes from across the school community. 

The school’s student charity committee selected Action Foundation as their charity partner. Lucy, the school’s Charities Lead, explained: 

“We are a culturally diverse school and wanted to find a local cause that supported people from different cultures and backgrounds. The students chose Action Foundation partly because of the links with food!”

A Week of Culture, Creativity, and Community 

Culture Festival Week was packed with exciting, student-led activities. The school came alive with music, colour and energy as students showcased traditions from around the world. Here are just a few highlights: 

  • Drama performances brought stories from Polish, Cypriot, and Hindi cultures to life, alongside Shakespearean classics. 
  • A fashion show featured students proudly wearing traditional clothing from Brazil, China, Nigeria, India, Sri Lanka, Congo, Ireland, Scotland and more. 
  • Cultural arts and crafts included Nigerian head wrapping, Saree fitting, Greek bracelet making and Chinese calligraphy. Henna tattoos were also designed by student artists. 
  • Musical performances ranged from classical Indian and Chinese pieces to Bollywood and devotional songs. 
  • Students played international games such as Mahjong and Mancala, while outdoors they took part in energetic games of Kho Kho led by student sports leaders. 

The week ended with an electrifying dance show featuring K-Pop, Old and Modern Bollywood, Greek dance, Bharatanatyam and a grand finale group dance by Sixth Form students. 

On the final day, the entire school dressed in cultural clothing, filling the corridors with colour, pride and celebration. 

Cooking up Change

RGS is currently collecting recipes for the cookbook, which will continue to be developed with the aim of having a finished version within the next year, with the proceeds coming to Action Foundation. Food was a central part of Culture Festival Week, with the school’s catering team preparing themed menus each day, inspired by the Middle East, East Asia and West Africa. Dishes included Shorabet Adas, Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry, Mango Float and West African Lime Cake. 

As an organisation that regularly shares food and stories at our monthly staff lunches, this collaboration couldn’t feel more fitting. We’re also thrilled to contribute recipes from our team of staff and volunteers to the cookbook project. 

Thank You 

Looking ahead, we’re looking forward to building a stronger relationship with RGS, including meeting the student committee and delivering a school assembly, where we can share more about the refugee experience and the importance of inclusion and community action. 

To the incredible students, staff and organisers at RGS – thank you! The funds raised through Culture Festival 2025 will directly support refugees and asylum seekers in building brighter, safer futures here in the North East. 

If you would like to donate directly, please visit: Culture Festival 2025 Fundraising Page