St Christopher’s has a great tradition of raising money for good causes, often local ones that benefit people in our city and across Sussex. Drake Badgers recently celebrated a decade and over £10,000 of support for Rockinghorse. Since we began using the site four years ago, our JustGiving pages have raised an amazing £13,969 for ten different charities. We have another fundraising event coming up just before Half Term, in the form of House Celebration Day.
But charity and outreach are more than just cash in the collection bucket or online donations. At St Christopher’s, our children know that giving your time to other people can be an even greater form of charity. Yesterday, we took part in our annual Make A Difference Day, which sees children across all four of the Brighton College Prep Schools go off timetable and off site, to give something back to our community in a variety of different ways.
Our MADD event this year featured many connections with nature. We are a city school with all the advantages that brings, but we have the sea on our doorstep and the Downs behind us, and our destinations reflected this. Year 8 were at the Knepp Estate working on their award winning rewilding project. Year 7 were at Saddlescombe Farm, clearing pathways at Devil’s Dyke to help the public enjoy visiting this local landmark. Year 6 were at Rock Farm, helping at a facility that provides Horticultural Therapy for those with sensory needs. Year 5 worked in the orchards at Stanmer Park Permaculture Trust, helping to ensure a good crop in the autumn. Years 3 and 4 went down to the seafront to create some Positivity Pebbles, and made posters reminding beach users to take their litter home with them. Years 1 and 2 had a visit from a local key worker, and made cards thanking people in roles that help us. Reception walked the short distance to Adelaide Care Home on New Church Road, where they sang for the residents.
Another simple but incredibly effective form of charity that anyone can do at any time is to give away pre-loved items so that someone else can enjoy them. We didn’t even begin to try and count the number of books that came through the gates yesterday, and it took an hour to sort them all and box them up! The charities they go to will be very, very grateful for them. A sincere thank you from me to everyone who donated books this week.
You can see much more about the various activities on our social media. We can congratulate ourselves and say that, as a school community, we have truly Made A Difference this week.
Ms Elizabeth Lyle, Head