Guernsey Press

Pupils’ reverse advent calendars will help less fortunate

HOPING to start a brand new Christmas tradition, the St Martin’s School community have been making up reverse advent calendars to help those less fortunate in their parish.

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St Martin’s Primary School pupils have been making ‘reverse’ advent calendars. Pupils have been bringing in food to make up hampers which are sent out to the community. Left to right are: Henry Amory, Charlie Dowding, Tilly Colley, all 6, Tiana Crowson, 7, and Flo Cook, 6. (Picture by Sophie Rabey, 26602647)

Pupils in the infant school have been learning about children of the United Nations and the rights of children everywhere.

As part of this and in an effort to show that children can be less fortunate anywhere, the children and their families have been bringing in items to school to complete reverse advent calendars.

Reverse advent calendars work by filling them in every day with items of food or clothing that can then be taken to a food bank or charity to help those less fortunate at Christmas time.

‘So we have created five food banks around the school and the children have been bringing in up to 24 items over the period we have been running it.

‘The 24 represents the number of doors on an advent calendar and we took 24 suggestions of items from the Guernsey Welfare Service,’ said teacher Jen Ashworth.

‘The pupils have been learning about the children of the UN and the rights of children everywhere, including themselves. We are trying to make them aware of their rights and therefore become ambassadors. They can choose to donate as much as they like and it will go towards helping people less fortunate this Christmas.’

The school amassed 10-15 boxes of food and Christmas items for the local community, so much that the staff from the welfare service had to come back another day with an empty car.

Henry Amory, 6, said: ‘All the kids in the world should have a right to food and a shelter over their heads but a lot of them don’t because of wars, volcanic eruptions and natural disasters.’

Tiana Crowson, 7, added: ‘We sorted through the items into Christmas stuff and non-Christmas stuff and now it is going to go out to people less well off this Christmas.’