Anniversary Appeal Film
Campaign film for Clifton High School
Over nearly a year, we collaborated with Clifton High School to create a film that captures the heart of their 150th Anniversary Appeal. Through intimate student interviews and footage shot at major school events across the year, the film tells a human story of ambition, resilience, and opportunity.
We followed students from diverse backgrounds, sharing personal journeys that show how bursary support and investment in science facilities can transform lives and unlock potential. From the excitement of discovery in the classroom to the confidence gained through support and mentorship, each story illustrates the real impact of the school’s work.
The result is a warm, compelling, and visually striking film that celebrates Clifton High’s rich legacy while inspiring the community to invest in the future. It’s a story of belonging, growth and possibility: a film designed not just to inform, but to move and motivate.
We were asked to make the film ahead of their 150th anniversary in 2027, and we started work in 2023. It launched in September 2024 with a new voiceover recorded by the Headmaster, Will Phelan. In 2025 we went back to add interviews with three new bursary students and re-cut the film.
The film was really well received on Monday when we presented it to all the staff, lots of positive comments and feedback which was fantastic!
Sending it to all our pupils and their families now. Thanks again for all your efforts and getting this to us today.
This film is part of our brand film work. See all the films we make.
Read the transcript
In 2027, Clifton High School will celebrate an incredible milestone, turning 150 years old. To acknowledge this significant achievement, we are launching our 150th anniversary appeal and we are asking for your support. Through our appeal, we aim to fund the future by investing in our science facilities and increasing our bursary support. I'm Corey.
I'm 17 and I have a passion for singing and I'm going to be a professional singer in the future. I moved from Ukraine after the war began in February 2022. When we moved, it was kind of chaotic. We just looked at every school that existed in Bristol and I just loved the idea of Clifton High being kind of small and really supportive and personalised, which was great for my education.
My name is Noku and I'm doing physics, maths and chemistry for my A Levels. I want to become a pilot because I love travelling around the world, seeing different countries, experiencing different cultures. I'm Demi. I'm in year nine.
I really want to do sports psychology. My name is Frank and I studied geography, business and PE and I'm also house captain for Winkworth. I would love to teach at Clifton High School one day. The school supported me in ways I probably didn't even realise at the time.
Whilst I was a pupil, it gave me the platform to be myself, to continue with a courageous and curious mindset. They allowed me to flourish and provided great memories for life. Whilst I was here, I jumped at every single opportunity I got. I was always at the open days.
I was always helping in the sports department, whether that was helping the year threes to swim or giving the year sevens a netball tutorial. I think the Clifton High opportunities that you get are unmatched. Science was great for me at Clifton High. It always really inspired me to get involved and really flourish in the subject.
But I think there's no substitute for the practical side where you can actually see how things come together. And we always got to see really cool and exciting experiments when we were in the older years. If we were given access to these facilities at an even younger age, we could have potentially seen even more interest in growth and really inspired everyone. Having great teaching is critical for becoming a passionate scientist or engineer, and I really had that at Clifton High.
But also having the facilities is so important. For the 150th appeal, they're looking at getting some additional science facilities for the junior school, because it's really great to inspire younger girls to go into science and engineering. So I'm the first person in my family to be able to go to a private school or have access to a private education, and it's all through the bursary, which is life changing. And from being at the school, I've recognised and seen the importance of education.
My family are really proud of me for being awarded a bursary here. They were really excited when I got my letter and they also felt a bit of relief as well. When I got it, I've become more confident in myself and who I am, and I've just become a more positive human in general, because I'm happy where I am. When I reached sixth form, my circumstances changed.
We spoke to school about it and they were really quick to fully understand the situation. And then luckily enough, I was offered a bursary to make sure that I could stay and get the most out of the school. My bursary changed my life. I would not have been able to attend Clifton High School if it wasn't for this bursary scheme.
When I went into year eight, I was awarded a bursary which covered my school fees and that really changed my life for the better. Clifton High is really a safe space for me to open up and I felt a lot more confident. I wouldn't have ever done this right now. I wouldn't have ever done this.
As we approach our 150th anniversary in 2027, it is a time to look to the future and our ambition to continue to build on this legacy. Your donations through our 150th anniversary appeal will allow us to make a significant and lasting impact on the lives of many more children across Bristol, by investing in our science facilities and increasing our bursary support, enabling us to evolve and meet the changing needs of young people. In today's world, Clifton High is beyond a school. It's a place to belong, a place to become, a place to believe.
If you're thinking of supporting, it would be incredible for people like me to stay on at Clifton High and really reach their full potential. Without that help, I wouldn't be the same person I am today.
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