Charity can begin at home but at Harrogate's Ashville Prep, it very much begins at school thanks to a generous group of young pupils.
Led by teacher Louise Wells, the school’s Charity Club has raised a staggering £6,000 in two years.
They've named a Guide Dog, designed cards for residents in local care homes and even held a ‘Dine in the Dark’ night to understand the challenges of being blind or partially sighted.
Pupils volunteer for the after-school club and collectively decide on good causes to support.
As well traditional fundraising such as donations for Harrogate Food Bank at the school’s annual Harvest Festival, in the past the pupils have organised a second-hand toy sale, a book sale and thanks to their efforts, raised enough money to name the Guide Dog ‘Ash’ which is supporting a local resident.
Mrs Wells said:
“We want to develop compassionate and caring individuals who care about the world around them, but also care about the community in which we live. It’s equally as important to use to support local charities and good causes.
“We’re not asking for huge amount of donations – we encourage the children to give a little back and use small amounts of their pocket money which they have earned to get involved and get engaged in projects which matter."
The club took off after the COVID-19 pandemic when children were adjusting to their return to school.
Mrs Wells added:
“I thought about what we as a school could do to make a difference and it’s evolved and grown into one of the most popular clubs.”
The Club carries out local litter picks, make cards and badges for community groups, run the school Christmas Fayre and last year raised £2,457 for Zarach, the national charity which helps vulnerable children and families living in poverty.
This paid for 16 emergency beds for families and all the pupils wore their pyjamas to school for the day and subsequently donated 213 pairs of brand-new children’s pyjamas to the charity.
Mrs Wells underpins the Ashville values in regular school assemblies involving all the pupils.
She said:
“They feel involved, they feel empowered to help others and have a pride in their efforts when we bring people in from outside school to talk about their aims."
The pupils will be dressing as their favourite Disney characters and watching a film in the school’s Soothill Theatre to raise money for the Living Care Potential Care Home in Wetherby on October 18th.
Phil Soutar, Head of Prep, said:
“We’re very proud of the club’s achievements and the pupils’ enthusiasm to help out, along with their parents’ support. Charity Club is just one of the many co-curricular clubs we run at school.”
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