Hinchley Wood Primary School, for children aged four to eleven in Esher, recently organised a food drive and dress-in-green day in aid of Transform Housing & Support, as part of their Eco Schools Green Flag re-assessment.
Eco Schools is a global programme that engages pupils in leading on environmental changes within their school and having an impact on the wider community. The Eco-Committee at Hinchley Wood, which is made up of pupils from all year groups, decided that they wanted to support Transform.
On Friday 9 June, pupils came to school dressed in green to raise awareness for Transform, and brought in donations from a wish list provided by the charity of essential food items, toiletries and household goods.
Donations were collected on just one day, and an incredible amount was received with an approximate value of over £300.
The donations will be distributed to clients throughout Transform’s housing projects in the Elmbridge area, where they currently provide housing and specialist support for 50 clients. These people experience a range of support needs including mental health issues and homelessness.
Aisling O’Neill, Housing & Support Manager at Transform Housing & Support’s Elmbridge team, said:
“We were absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of items donated by pupils at Hinchley Wood Primary School. We are incredibly grateful for their generous donation to Transform which will make a huge difference to our clients’ lives.
"Sadly it is not unusual for people to arrive at Transform with only the clothes they are wearing. This donation will allow us to give our clients welcome packs when they come to us, and allow us to run cookery groups in the training kitchen at our hostel. The school’s donation included essential food items, toiletries and cleaning products, all of which will give people a helping hand, as we support them to get their lives back on track.”
Sarah Clow, Year 3 Teacher at Hinchley Wood Primary School, leading the Eco-Committee, added:
“Transform delivered an assembly to the whole school which highlighted the important work they do. The Eco-Committee worked together to promote the event and the response from all of our school community was brilliant! As a values-based school, we felt that this was a perfect opportunity to support people in the local area who are homeless and help to provide a happier life for those less fortunate. We hope to work alongside the charity in the future.”
