The almoners organised a harvest collection, encouraging pupils to donate food and other household items to Bristol North Foodbanks. At Christmas, the girls collected donations at the carol service for St Peter’s Church and our longstanding initiative to support the Chicuhas Wasi School in Peru. The Christmas Bazaar saw charitable donations raised by pupils’ families towards Action for Children’s Secret Santa charity, as well as a percentage of profits being given to Peru Earlier in the term, we had made and sold cakes at the annual BRACE Sale alongside visiting Westbury Fields for a Christmas singalong and Handbell ringing session.
A special addition was made this year in honour of our late Queen’s long-standing commitment to service; pupils were asked to dedicate an hour of service during their Christmas break – an act of kindness to help others. There was a whole host of thoughtful and imaginative examples shared when we all returned in January; from charity bake sales and helping grandparents with online grocery shopping, to litter-picking and donating £5 notes (winnings from her mum’s sweepstake prize) to the homeless. The key message to the pupils was that any simple act of kindness can make a real difference to others, however big or small.
As part of World Book Week in March, pupils across the school brought in a book from home to donate to a local primary school, with each book containing a personal message to the next reader about why they enjoyed it so much.
Later in the Spring Term, some of our Year 6 pupils had the opportunity to volunteer with the All-Aboard Water Sports charity in Bristol Harbour. A centre where our pupils can try out sailing, it was an opportunity to pay back. The organisation provides fun experiences on the water to children and adults with disabilities or those that are from challenging backgrounds. The girls helped with decorating a new quiet room, tested buoyancy aids, checked SUP’s and many other jobs to help All-Aboard prepare for the new season. To help raise money towards furnishing the new quiet room, in early July, the whole school got involved too, by taking part in ‘Own Shoes Day’. £1 was the suggested donation for any pupil that wore their ‘own’ shoes to school for the day.
The Summer Term ended with the whole school taking part in a mufti day, which generated a multitude of toiletries and household goods being collected for Street Life, a local charity that provides hot meals, clothing and other items to Bristol’s homeless every weekend.
Charitable support can come in many different forms, and we are thankful to our girls, their parents and staff for giving their time, hard work and showing such generosity. These efforts reinforce a sense of community spirit and belonging within the Junior School, whilst making a difference to the organisations and individuals we are proud to support.