By Mrs Johnson, Charities Co-ordinator

With Christmas getting ever closer, we are gearing up for some fun-filled festive activities to support our fantastic local charities.

Year Group Charities

Well done to Year 11 who set the bar high in the first half of this term by raising over £500 for The Felix Project, thanks to their popular bake sales, dodgeball and ‘Rent a Friend’ initiatives!

Year 10 have voted and will be supporting Crisis, the national charity for people experiencing homelessness this term. Their Charity Reps have been busy planning their fundraisers for November and December: bake sales/candy canes, a Christmas fair and possibly a film evening. Watch this space!

Age UK

As has become an NHEHS tradition, we will be collecting food and gifts to make Christmas Hampers for Age UK.

We are encouraging students to bring in items for annual Christmas hampers for Ealing Age UK from Monday 21st November until Monday 28th November. Sadly, many of their clients have still not managed to return to pre-pandemic life. Receiving a Christmas hamper is a way of letting them feel remembered during this festive time. Ealing Age UK would be happy to receive any long-life food items that do not contain bits which could cause choking. Suggested items include tinned veg, fruits and soups, jam/marmalade, crackers, biscuits, spreads, long life milk, teabags, coffee, sugar, porridge, pasta, noodles, chocolates. Also shampoos, soaps, toothpaste, lap blankets, gloves, scarfs, hats, puzzle books. Some students from the enrichment groups will be going to the Greenford Community Centre from where Age UK operates in Ealing, to help pack the hampers.

We are also planning on some carol singing at the end of November with a group of Year 7/8 students and sixth formers in aid of Age UK.

Mencap

Another NHEHS festive tradition – the Mencap Christmas Fair –  is due to take place on 6th December. Last year, students and Mencap customers thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon of fun activities in the Recital Hall including making tree decorations, festive bingo, crafting cards, singing and a fun photo booth.

Volunteering

This week one of our enrichment groups will be going to Chestnut Lodge to do craft and games with the residents – while our singers will be going to Downhurst Care Home. Year 7 and 8 students will be making Christmas cards for both Age UK and the local care homes that we regularly visit.

Finally, December would not be December without our Christmas Jumper Day! On December 13th we will be encouraging staff and pupils from both senior and junior schools to wear a Christmas jumper in aid of The Log Cabin in Northfields. Also look out for our school charity Christmas cards, designed by one of our students, which will be sold online through Parent Pay and also at the Bazaar on December 3rd!

Thank you for your continued generosity.