Schools are rising to the Hospice Challenge

SCOTLAND’S SCHOOLS have made a speedy response to our Challenge. First off the mark was Northfield Academy in Aberdeen, who contacted us on Monday morning. They’re already up and running with a list of fund-raising events — and it’s all thanks to fifth year pupil Nicola Duncan. She took a copy of last week’s Sunday Post into school to show her classmates and they voted to back our appeal. The school has a remarkable track record of raising funds for good causes, stretching back nearly 12 years. Sandra Gates, head of the Home Economics department, says Northfield even has its own Community Project scheme. “It is open to fifth and sixth year pupils and this year there are 30 of them involved.

Staff and pupils at Aberdeen’s Northfield Academy are already up and running with a programme of fund-raising events.

“Each year the pupils choose two causes to support. They had already planned to help the Archie Foundation, a new hospital for children in Aberdeen.
“Now they’ve agreed to support the Hospice Challenge as well.”
The pupils, under the guidance of Sandra and head of technical subjects Raymond Penny, have drawn up a list of events.
“So far,” says Sandra, “we’re planning a 12-mile sponsored walk around Loch Muick near Balmoral at the end of this month.
“In October we will have a penalty shoot-out competition and the following month we’ll sell doughnuts in the school.
“But our main event this year will be a fashion show on December 3.”
Vale of Leven Academy in Dumbarton were also quick to rise to the Challenge.
Susan Belkacemi, assistant principal teacher of Modern Languages, says the school has arranged for its 210 first-year pupils to take part in a sponsored language challenge. She says, “In October we’ll ask each first-year pupil to learn 10 words in a new language. To make it a bit different the kids will have to tackle more unusual languages, like Arabic, Dutch and Japanese.”

If your school wants to rise to The Sunday Post Schools Hospice Challenge we’d love to hear from you.

Please phone us on 0141 332 9933.
We’ll feature various fund-raising efforts regularly throughout the campaign.

You can e-mail us at: hospice@sundaypost.com