Children catch the charity bug
Pupils at a catholic school are using the Lent period to help those most in need.
Year 6 children at St Michael’s Catholic Primary Academy, in Merry Hill, Wolverhampton, have taken on a catching challenge to help children living in some of the poorest countries around the world to access the food they need.
The challenge will see the 29 pupils, as a group, aim to achieve 64 million catches of a ball. Each catch represents one of the children they are looking to help.
Office manager Sharon Bowen said the children, who are all aged between 10 and 11, had decided to do the challenge after doing some research about children in poor countries.
She said: “They did the research and found there were around 64 million children who don’t have access to enough food, so they decided to take on the challenge of catching 64 million balls.
“It costs £15.90 to feed a child for a whole school year, so they pledged to do the challenge, which can involve a ball, a rolled-up sock or anything that they can catch as a ball.
"All the catches are being recorded and added together as well and we’re asking for video evidence to be sent in, so we’ll be able to put a big story together for the children afterwards.”
The challenge is aiming to raise £250 for Mary’s Meals, a global school feeding programme working to prevent children from going hungry and gain more from their education as a result.
Headteacher Louise Bradley offered her own praise for the work the pupils were doing, which is part of the school’s annual Lent period fundraising campaign.
To make a donation, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/stmichaelscatchformeals
