Royal Blind School turned the tables
By Gary Moug
THE SUNDAY POST CHAS Appeal is all about raising cash for disadvantaged children, but the tables were turned last week.
 A class from the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh — including two pupils who attend Rachel House — raised money for our campaign.
The Leavers’ Class at the Canaan Lane campus consists of five teenagers — Craig Johnston, Lindsey Cowan, Debbie Creighton, Paul Parry and Lynsey Ellen Shepherd.
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From left, Craig Johnston, Lindsey Cowan,
Debbie Creighton, Paul Parry and Lynsey Ellen
Shepherd. with teacher Carolyn Quine. Back,
from left, classroom assistants Karen Armstrong,
Nancy Paterson, Christine Gaw and Anne Garden.
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Wonderful ideas
They’ve followed our campaign since the beginning and enjoy learning about the brave children of Rachel House as well as the weird and wonderful ideas people have come up with to raise money.
They decided to do something to help. So, two weeks ago the pupils organised a special fund-raising day where they collected a magnificent £284 for our appeal.
Class teacher Carolyn Quine said, “We’ve been doing a class module about work in the community and wanted to do something ourselves to benefit children in Scotland.
“My class consists of children with multiple disabilities as well as visual impairment. Two of our pupils, Craig and Debbie, attend Rachel House, so we thought it would be nice to raise money for the new hospice.”
The class cooked lunch for the entire school — more than 70 pupils and staff — and organised a multi-prize tombola, with all proceeds going to The Sunday Post Hospice Appeal.
Carolyn added, “We contacted local companies to ask for donations and tombola prizes, and we were overwhelmed with the response. We received everything from tanning vouchers to fancy perfume and free meals at local restaurants. It’s amazing how generous people are when they hear you’re collecting for ill children.”
The pupils spent all morning slaving away in the kitchen with Carolyn and their four classroom assistants. They prepared lentil soup for the whole school and, at £1 per bowl, this brought the total on the day to more than £280 — with the promise of more to come.
Carolyn said, “We will also be holding a coffee morning and a bring-and-buy sale for CHAS later in the term.
“A second children’s hospice in Scotland is long overdue. We know from speaking to Debbie, Craig and their families that Rachel House is a superb facility.
“They benefit enormously from going there, but shortage of places means they only get three or four respite stays a year.
Hard work
“The fund-raising events have been hard work, but we’ve raised a lot more than we expected and the kids have enjoyed themselves, so it’s been well worth it.”
The Canaan Lane campus of the Royal Blind School was purpose-built for children with a visual impairment who have additional complex barriers to learning.
The site has modern facilities for 54 school-age pupils, a nursery for 12 children and a playgroup. |
You can e-mail us at:
hospice@sundaypost.com
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