Local High School's epic week of fundraising helps give hunger the boot

30 October 2013

Pupils from Archbishop McGrath Catholic High School in Bridgend have raised the astonishing sum of almost £2,500 for charity thanks to an intensive week of fundraising. Half of this total will goto ‘Give Hunger the Boot’, a fundraising appeal for the UK charity Farm Africa which is working with smallholder farmers across eastern Africa to help end hunger, for good. The other half will go to CAFOD.

To help ‘Give Hunger the Boot’ the entire school of pupils aged between 11 and 18, as well as many of the teaching and support staff, took part in a jam-packed week of welly boot inspired fun between 21 to 25 October. Activities included the Great Welsh Bake Off, a design a boot competition, an ‘Ode to a Welly’ poetry competition, a teachers vs. pupils welly dodgeball tournament, a ‘Boot-tucker’ trial, a daily ‘Where’s Welly’ competition and even ‘Boot-loose’ line dancing.

If that wasn’t enough, 130 year 7 pupils also took part in a ‘Welly Walk’, completing two miles each towards Farm Africa’s ‘Great African Welly Walk’. The number of ‘welly miles’ walked by the school will be added to the grand total of miles walked by all participating schools and churches across the UK. Last year, the total number of miles walked was equivalent to a mass ‘Welly Walk’ all the way to a Farm Africa project in Ethiopia and back. This year Farm Africa is hoping to go even further by walking all the way to one of their projects in Kenya. And back!

Responding to the extraordinary fundraising efforts of his pupils, Head Teacher Rev Dr Philip Manghan said:

“Every Autumn, around the time of Harvest, the school organises events and activities to support those who each day face severe hunger and thirst. It is a time for us to thank God for what we have been given and to be challenged about what we can do for those who have nothing. We always support the work of the Catholic agency, CAFOD, and this year we took a special interest in Farm Africa because of its emphasis on development not aid.

In lessons, and special assemblies led by students, our young people were introduced to the work of Farm Africa and CAFOD. This year's fund-raising and awareness-raising activities focused on the slogan, 'Give hunger the boot' and featured a wide range of activities, including welly walks, welly line dancing, design a welly, welly poetry and finding welly. It was great fun and a successful way of raising both a substantial sum of money and the awareness of students, both for the needs of others and how we can help.

I am very grateful to Head of RE, Joanne Pearson, and all the staff and students for the success of this event. llongyfarchiadau pawb!”

To encourage schools to take part, Farm Africa has created free downloadable teaching resources, designed to help connect those taking part in the campaign with the lives of those in Africa.

The extraordinary support from Archbishop McGrath will generate important funds that Farm Africa will use to train farmers in how to grow and produce more food and increase their harvest yields.

Ends

Images are available on request.

Farm Africa press office:

Laura Oakley, 020 7067 1252 / laurao@farmafrica.org  

Archbishop McGrath Catholic High School: http://moodle.bridgend.gov.uk/archbishopmcgrath/

Notes to Editor:

About Farm Africa

Farm Africa believes that Africa’s farmers can feed Africa’s people. It provides solutions before hunger becomes an emergency, investing in farmers to give them the tools and skills they need to feed their families.  It also trains farmers’ groups in how to market and sell what they farm so their families see change not just for this harvest but for years to come. 

To help more farmers beat hunger for good please visit www.farmafrica.org

About ‘Give Hunger the Boot’

‘Give Hunger the Boot’ is a campaign run annually around harvest time by Farm Africa. It encourages schools and faith groups to fundraise so that families in Africa can grow enough crops to eat, not just this harvest, but every harvest. It promotes welly boot themed activities including participation in our Great African Welly Walk. http://www.farmafrica.org/give-hunger-the-boot/give-hunger-the-boot.