Pupils and staff across the family of Star Academies schools in West Yorkshire including Laisterdyke Leadership Academy are supporting the most vulnerable members of their communities by spreading kindness and tackling food poverty.
A plethora of charity activities are taking place amongst the seven Star schools in Bradford and Shipley. Together, they are supporting a wide variety of local charities, support groups and individuals who are most vulnerable in our communities.
At Laisterdyke Leadership Academy, pupils and staff have been busy donating items for Christmas hampers that will be delivered to local care homes. Pupils will also visit the care homes to spread festive cheer by singing carols outside the care homes for residents to watch from the safety and warmth of their homes. Food and hygiene items are also being donated to provide ‘welcome packs’ for people supported by the Salvation Army.
Residents of Shakespeare Court, a residential home close to Barkerend Primary Leadership Academy, will receive gift sets made from items donated by pupils and staff. Pupils will also exchange letters, cards and pictures with Shakespeare Court residents, who the pupils have formed a close relationship with during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Across three Bradford schools – Tong Leadership Academy, Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy and Rainbow Primary Leadership Academy – pupils and staff have been collecting non-perishable food and essential household items for donation to local food banks. Rainbow Primary Leadership Academy also held a 10 Days of Christmas campaign to collect gifts for families supported by a local refuge. The festive gift packs include socks, gloves, books and craft items.
Generous pupils and staff at Eden Boys’ Leadership Academy, Bradford donated enough food items to make 500 food boxes. The boxes have been distributed to homeless people in Bradford and to local vulnerable people.
At High Crags Primary Leadership Academy in Shipley, pupils and staff have formed a special relationship with residents and staff at a local retirement housing scheme. They have developed close links and supported residents throughout the pandemic. This Christmas, the school has donated gifts for the residents along with personal cards and notes from the pupils to spread hope and joy.
Jonathan Harris, Principal at Rainbow Primary Leadership Academy, said that the school’s Festive Winter Gift Programme has helped pupils to understand the power of kindness and how their actions could help others during times of difficulty. He said:
” We are incredibly fortunate to be part of a very special community of pupils, parents and staff and our whole school benefits from these relationships. Our Festive Winter Gift Programme provides an opportunity for us to really show pupils how their small acts of kindness can help to spread joy to people in need. The campaign helps the school to strengthen its connections in the community and to reinforce our position as a school that sits at the very heart of the community it serves.”
The annual Festive Winter Gift Programme is part of a wider programme of giving and thanks that takes place across the 30 schools that are all part of the Star Academies multi-academy trust.