Winnall Rock School

Yay! The joy from making music: four young people form a band, discover that practice, rigour, precision and resilience can also be fun. They listen, collaborate, learn from their mistakes and find their voice, literally and metaphorically.
Congratulations, ‘Roquefort’ — WRS Grand Masters who brought the party to the park!

The final gasp of our 2025/6 season will take place at the Party in the Park in Stanmore on Saturday 22nd August with our 'Rock 4' (or Roquefort?) band playing a short set at 12.45.
We'll also have a stand with our new merch and info about our offer for 2026/7. Hope to see you there.
https://www.visitwinchester.co.uk/events/party-in-the-park

Mark rocks (with our Rock 4 stars)!

We are overjoyed that Mark Ryan’s recent “Rock to Rock” charity swim across The Solent raised £2,500 for our work with young musicians in Wi******er.

We are thankful for Mark’s commitment and the generosity of his friends, supporters and donors, including the JELN Family Trust, which match-funded Mark’s £1,250 funding target.

Mark commented: “Given my original £1000 target, I am thrilled the swim raised £2,500. It was tough, but knowing it would help young people discover music, creativity and confidence kept me going."

This was Mark’s 2nd charity swim for us, having raised £1000 for us back in 2023. If anyone else would like to fundraise for us in a new, exciting (or frankly any) way, then please get in touch.

So that concludes a rather brilliant year. Despite some tight finances along the way, we delivered a full season of workshops and spectacular events.
- Weekly workshops at Unit 12 including visits by Danny Chambers MP and the Mayor of Wi******er
- Experimenting with sound in Wi******er Cathedral
- Recording at the University of Wi******er
- Performing in the Winton Chapel
- Performing in Wi******er Cathedral at 'Here Comes the Sun'
- Workshopping as part of Sound Wi******er at The Arc
- Performing at the Theatre Royal Wi******er on World Rock day
Information about our plans for next year will be published soon. Maybe we’ll see you at Party in the Park on August 22nd?

Yay! So happy to see that Mark Ryan has achieved his £1000 fundraising target for WRS. Given that the story of him and his colleague Simon has attracted some BBC publicity, Mark has added a stretch target of £1250. Do please help him smash that too - to part compensate for being stung on the face by a Jellyfish!

The BBC story of yesterday's swim is here. It will be on South Today later. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgw8dde34go

Mark's donation page is here. https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mark-ryan-529

Double amputee veteran swims across the Solent Simon Harmer lost both of his legs while serving as a combat medic in Afghanistan.

Yay! The fundraising swim across The Solent is underway with Mark Ryan and Simon Harmer chasing the IoW Ferry. Next time we'll buy them a ticket to Ryde - boom-boom!
Fingers crossed for BBC coverage on Thursday.
Help us achieve / smash Mark's £1000 funding target here. https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mark-ryan-529

World Rock Cup #7.
They think it’s all over. It’s not quite! In added time, our Grand Finale was a Bohemian Rhapsody inspired medley, finished with a dollop of love. Training field practice had been limited, and some players — including the deadline-signed Mayor — were still finding their positions. Even so, WRS ended the night as worthy champions. No penalties, just emotions. Great show!

Thanks to MichelleQ Photography for the pics and to Play to the Crowd for making it happen on such a great stage!

World Rock Cup #6.
Last year’s Rock 3 didn't want to leave us, so we promoted them this season to form a new Rock 4 league. After largely coaching themselves, they forged a sound tighter than SuperGlue. Bravo! Alas, their WRS contracts have now expired, and they are available to join new teams next year. We wish them all the best for their future musical journeys.

With thanks to MichelleQ Photography for the pics.

World Rock Cup #5. Rock 3’s preparations had been disrupted by injuries and GCSE commitments for their school teams. But with a new tactical plan including debuts up front, new double vocal attacks were assisted by the midfield’s menacing riffs. Concluding with a brief reprise of Gazza’s tears, they delivered a thrashing!
Photos with thanks to MichelleQ Photography

World Rock Cup #4. Before the half-time hydration break, our volunteer coaches took to the stage, resplendent in their new WRS team kit to flaunt their love of Fridays. Sadly, Jake has been tempted by the lure of the Australian leagues, while Pete needs a season on the treatment table. We wish them both well. We will soon be seeking replacements. Free transfer requests from 'axe'-slinging forwards and sanity defenders welcome!