Scarcroft pupils busk to raise money for school library

Two talented, young musicians from York have been secretly raising funds as a heartfelt parting gift to their beloved primary school as they prepare to leave Year 6 to go to secondary school this summer.

The musical duo, who attend Scarcroft Primary School, wanted to raise funds to go towards the much-needed refurbishment of the school library, which will take place over the summer break, benefiting students for years to come.

Juno James, who sings and plays the piano, along with Sam Stock, a talented drummer, have spent their weekends busking in York city centre. Their impressive repertoire includes classics such as “Let It Be” by The Beatles, “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes, “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals, and “Imagine” by John Lennon.

Staff at the school were amazed, and incredibly grateful to receive the huge sum of over £1330 from the pupils.

Juno and Sam explained, “It has been really fun doing the busking, with people singing and clapping along, and enjoying our music. We wanted to give back to Scarcroft Primary School because we’ve really enjoyed our time here. We’ve only be playing together for about a year now, but our confidence is really growing and we’re looking forward to performing in our end of year concerts with school.”

Jennifer Mitchell, Head of School at Scarcroft said “We are so proud of Juno and Sam. They are incredibly talented musicians, and their generosity has blown us all away. We had no idea that they were raising money for school, and we are so grateful! The library is set to become the hub of our school when it reopens in September, and we will all benefit enormously from Juno and Sam’s kindness.”

The two children will be performing their rendition of “Teardrop” by Massive Attack at York Barbican at South Bank Multi Academy Trust’s Arts Fest on 9 July, as well as playing at Scarcroft School’s Junior Talent Night at Millthorpe, a fellow trust school, on Thursday 4 July.

The school is still fundraising to improve and restock the school library and develop reading areas across the school through their Walk the World initiative, reported in The Press in January 2024. Anyone still wishing to donate can do so via the school’s JustGiving page: Donations can be made online at: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/scarcroftwalkstheworld.

Scarcroft Primary School is part of the South Bank Multi Academy Trust alongside Millthorpe School, York High School, Carr Junior School, Knavesmire Primary and Woodthorpe Primary.