Our pupils are a sociable bunch and one of the many things they’ve enjoyed since they’ve returned to a relatively normal school week is spending time with each other in the fresh air. The other thing of note is how caring they are and so willing to help others who are less fortunate than themselves.
That’s why we’re particularly proud that a class of year six pupils from our South Wilford CE Primary School in Nottingham instigated a charity walk around their grounds this month to raise funds for Teenage Cancer Trust.
It took all 22 boys and girls aged between 10 and 11, 1.5 hours to complete 20 laps of their field and together they raised a staggering £1,200.
As part of school life, pupils across our schools are encouraged to think about others and how they can help those in need, and we’re thrilled that the children from South Wilford did just that.
Erin and Adaku, two of the lead pupils for the sponsored walk, said: “We wanted to do something to serve the community and we all know a friend or family member who has cancer or who has died of cancer so we thought a cancer charity might be a good cause. “
“Last term was the first time in a year that we were all fully back in school together and we really enjoyed seeing each other again. We all know that we are very lucky to have our health and happy homes, but we just wanted to do something to show our support for those who are not having such a great time. Some of us know of families that are dealing with teenage cancer and so it became the obvious choice. We were surprised that we managed to raise such a large amount in such a short space of time, and we would like to thank our friends and families for helping us achieve this sum of money.”
Classroom teacher, Mrs Hatfield, was delighted with the displays of kindness and the level of organisation the pupils showed throughout and said:
“School life has been very different over the past twelve months. Although we are fortunate to have been able to keep abreast of our curriculum – online when necessary – we really missed being together every day in class. Seeing our pupils back together and working on something as a group is really special.
“I asked the children what they suggested we could do as a class to serve our community and they unanimously agreed on a sponsored walk. They wanted to raise money for a cancer charity, as they were aware from the media how charities were suffering not being able to their normal level of fundraising throughout the Covid pandemic lockdown. We found out about the Teenage Cancer Trust, which is relevant to their age, and talked about how we could help make lives more bearable for the families impacted. Thanks to the children – and all of the parents who also got behind it – we have raised an amazing amount of money.”
“We only have one school rule and that is to ‘be at our best’. This is encouraged through every part of school life and beyond and we hope it will stay with our pupils throughout their entire lives. We believe that if we are at our best more of the time, we can achieve great things and more than we ever expected. Our pupils acts of service, kindness and organisation in this charity event certainly shows they have taken this on board and we’re so proud of them.”
For more information, please contact South Wilford School here.