Students at Allestree Woodlands School became Santa for the day when they delivered more than 60 sacks of food to Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance (DF4TA) as part of Derby County Community Trust’s Reverse Advent Calendar Appeal.
The appeal asked people to collate a food item a day from a ‘calendar’ list and then deliver these to Harrison’s Hub at Derby County Community Trust in Pride Park on December 4 or 5.
At the school in Blenheim Drive, every form from Year 7 to Sixth Form took part, with students bringing in at least one item each from the list.
A team of volunteers then collated the items into the food parcels, delivering 64 to the Hub.
It is the second year the school has supported the cause, and students said they and their friends wanted to do something for other people at this time of year.
Charlie, 15, was one of the students unloading the bags from the school’s minibus outside Harrison’s Hub. He said: “People like being generous near Christmas and this campaign was really simple to follow.”
Sophie, 14, said it had been great to see everyone across the school getting behind it. “Our school actually collected everything within a week – people brought in at least one item from the list but some brought in more and everyone got involved, it was really nice to do something for other people.”
Teacher Lucy Walker has helped to co-ordinate the school’s efforts for the past two years and said it was amazing to see the students’ response.
“We are really proud to support the DCCT Reverse Advent Calendar appeal again this year. At Woodlands, one of our core values is ‘Regard’ and it was fantastic to see this in action through the generosity of the staff, students and their families, who were able to put together 64 food parcels. This is also a great way for our students to develop their sense of belonging to the wider community within the city, which is a really important part of their education.”
Katherine Wragg at Derby County Community Trust thanked the school for its support.
“Last year Allestree Woodlands School provided one of single biggest contributions to the appeal and this year they have done the same. It was amazing to see all the bags being brought into the hub and knowing what a difference they are going to make to people at this time of year.”
Students’ generosity isn’t stopping with the Reverse Advent Calendar Appeal either, as sixth formers are holding a fundraising day in aid of other charities.
The Sixth Form Charity Day on Thursday, December 19 will involve stalls including a chocolate tombola, hot chocolate stall, Guess the Teacher from their Baby Picture competition and a candy cane stall, to name but a few. Sixth Form students are also organising a Christmas Karaoke event during break times and will be dressing up as characters from different films to mark the occasion. All proceeds will go towards the designated Sixth Form charity, Dementia UK. Years 7 to 11 have organised a non-uniform day to raise money for their nominated charities, Cancer Research, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Air Ambulance, Rainbows Hospice and the Kleefstra Syndrome UK Association.
Head teacher Gemma Penny said the continued support for charities was a core part of the school’s values of having regard for others but also of working together as a school community.
“Not only do charitable events like these bring us together with a shared purpose as a school community, they also help us look beyond our own gates and raise students’ awareness of the lives of others and how we can all help to make a difference. I’m really proud of how our young people have responded this year.”
This article was written by Kirsty Green on behalf of Allestree Woodlands School. Can we share your news and get you in the headlines too? Find out how we can help by getting in touch.
