Pupils stride out for Barnsley hospice

Holy Trinity School chooses different charities to support each year as part of their Lenten fundraising challenge.

Barnsley Hospice is the deserving charity of choice for this year and pupils have devised then taken part in a wide variety of fundraising activities over the past few weeks.

The idea of a sponsored walk from their school in Athersley to the Town Hall and back was put forward by Y6 pupils.

Equipped with buckets to collect money along the way, pupils were accompanied by their teacher, Lee Mullen, and teaching assistant Carol Eckford.

They raised money through donations and sponsorship.

At a special assembly in school pupils presented a cheque for £1,809 to a Barnsley Hospice representative.

Class teacher Lee Mullen said: “I’m very proud of the children and everything they’ve achieved.

“The sponsored walk was their idea and the money they’ve raised is phenomenal.”

Last year pupils supported the Barnsley-based Baby Basics as a cause.

Baby Basics is a volunteer-led project aiming to support new mothers who are struggling to meet the financial and practical burden of caring for a new baby.

Each class has led its own fund-raising events that have included cake stalls, coffee mornings and other activities.

Pupils also honed social enterprise skills as they watched their projects carried through from germs of ideas to resulting sums of money.

n Pictured right, pupils from Class 11, front from left,Maisy Hanby, Marcie Heckingbottom and Jessica Richardson with teacher Lee Mullen and Sarah Hattersley from the Barnsley Hospice.