Students at Allestree Woodlands School have made the biggest single community group donation to Derby County Community Trust’s Christmas food parcel appeal so far.
The Trust’s Reverse Advent Calendar Appeal challenges people to donate a food item for each day of Advent to make up Christmas food parcels for those in need.
And students at the school in Blenheim Drive rose to the challenge, collecting 64 parcels which they delivered to the Trust’s hub in Pride Park.
Teacher Lucy Walker helped co-ordinate the school’s response, including buying more than 60 Ikea bags for each Christmas parcel. She said: “It was really quite moving seeing all the parcels in the school’s atrium ready to be taken down to Pride Park. It was such a large amount.
“Students donated items as part of their tutor groups, some donated a few items, others an entire box, and then staff and departments in the school also brought in items. It was a fantastic response.
“Our students really wanted to contribute to something big which could make a difference and this scheme, being linked to Derby County who many of our students support, really struck a chord with many of them. One of Allestree Woodland’s core values is ‘Regard’ and this really did demonstrate how students, staff and families have regard for others in our community.”
Student Cari Tomlinson, 12, was one of several students who travelled to Pride Park to help deliver the food parcels.
She said: “It was just such a great thing to be part of and to be able to contribute towards and it was quite simple to do, just by donating different items to make up a hamper and some students donated entire hampers.”
As a thank you for their hard work, the students were given a pitch side tour of the stadium.
Megan Patrick, marketing manager at Derby County Community Trust said she was incredibly impressed with the school’s response.
“We have had an amazing response with individuals and businesses donating. We have had some very large donations from individuals but this from Allestree Woodlands has to be the largest single community donation so far!”
The Trust is working with Derby Food 4 Though Alliance to distribute the parcels to those in need and Megan said they had started collecting early to ensure that the parcels could be with those in need for Christmas.
