Inner city youngsters treated to week at Wellington
A group of youngsters from deprived inner London boroughs experienced life away from concrete and traffic for a week when they came to stay at Wellington College recently, thanks to nine Lower Sixth Form students at Wellington who raised over £5,000 for the project.
The 27 children aged 8-11 who came absolutely loved it. Some of them had their first experience of camping in the grounds of the College, and others saw a beach for the first time on a day trip to Bournemouth ("the sea is freezing," said one). They also went swimming at Bracknell's Coral Reef pool ("that pool is the best I've ever been to"), did a 'mini-Olympics' and danced until they dropped at a special disco ("I've never been to a disco and I've got a dress and heels on").
The children, living in boroughs such as Lewisham and Camberwell, come from struggling and low-income families who usually can't afford holidays. Two of the youngsters are themselves carers for family members. Wellington staff and pupils worked with the CCHF All About Kids organisation to arrange the week's break for the most needy.
Wellington teacher Emma-Jayne Huddart, who helped organise the week, explained that pupils at the school doing their International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma undertake a service project as part of the creativity, action, service module of their course and she had heard about CCHF All About Kids' work. Nine of the IB students volunteered to take on the challenge, and along with Emma-Jayne undertook fundraising activities to raise the necessary money, including sponsored walks, a fashion show and numerous individual efforts. "As a school we are always looking for ways to bridge the gap between independent and state schools as well as giving our pupils experiences which will help their personal development, and the CCHF All About Kids project was extremely successful on both counts," she said. "Within half an hour of meeting, despite the age gap and differences in background, they were all chatting away and they all got along really well." She said the Wellington pupils were as tired at the end of the week as the youngsters!
Lydia Davis, chief executive of CCHF All About Kids, said: "The children had the most amazing time visiting places they would not normally have had the opportunity to do. We are extremely grateful to everyone at Wellington for allowing us to use the wonderful facilities but most of all our thanks must go to Emma-Jayne Huddart and the nine students who raised the funds, organised the activities and gave some of the most disadvantaged children in our society such an amazing time. They went home happy and relaxed and more able to cope with the stresses and strains of their everyday lives."
CCHF All About Kids, www.cchf-allaboutkids.org.uk, exists to give disadvantaged children a range of residential activity and respite breaks. The charity aims to improve the quality of children's lives and help them to recognise their potential in a safe and happy environment.