Community Day
On Monday 26 June Year 12 pupils were involved in a new initiative for Eastbourne College – Community Day.
The aims of the day were for the pupils to be involved in projects in the community and to raise awareness of the value of community work. A number of different activities were undertaken both inside the College and in the town of Eastbourne.
Another group helped to host a tea party for local elderly residents in the College. They devised quizzes and helped with a scrumptious tea provided by the catering department. The chocolate brownies were a great hit. Mr Eadon provided the music for a sing-along where everyone sang with great gusto an ecletic mix of songs ranging from Vera Lynn to Elvis Presley. The 23 visitors were full of praise for the College’s hospitality.
Ten pupils were taken to a community hall in Seaside. The manager had asked that they paint the hall to give it a fresh appearance. Pru, one of the pupils writes: ‘On Monday 26 June, ten of us, both boys and girls took a minibus down to the Eastbourne homeless shelter. When we arrived, half of us stripped one of the walls inside and painted it a dark grey colour, while the other half of the group removed weeds from the garden and cleared up litter. The painting was tricky as the wall was very uneven and little preparation for us had been done beforehand, as well as a lack of paintbrushes! The weather was good for the gardeners and a few of us spoke to some of the people who use the shelter and found out a little bit more about how the shelter runs. It was an eye opener for all of us and I think it made us all realise how grateful we should be for the lifestyles we have. ‘
Eighteen students spent the day as volunteers at several charity shops in town. The College received some very positive feedback from the staff there. The girls at the Cancer Research shop had been very helpful, created some wonderful displays and in the first hour had already sold one of the tops from their display. Those at the British Heart Foundation, Mind, Red Cross and Salvation Army had all had productive days and were good ambassadors for the College.
Another group of students volunteered at St Wilfrid’s Hospice; one group did car washing at the Hospice and the other helped at the Charity Hub in Moy Avenue. The groups swapped at lunchtime. The car washing was to raise funds for the Hospice. The morning car wash group raised £70.69 and the afternoon group raised £56.50. A fantastic effort! Again the pupils worked extremely hard and their efforts were much appreciated by St Wilfrid’s.
