Last Friday (18 March 2022) staff, parents and pupils at Beeston Primary School donated an overwhelming amount of goods and funds for ‘Freedom for Ukraine’. They also held a non-uniform day where staff and pupils wore yellow and blue to show their support to the people of Ukraine.
Mr Nicholson (Deputy Headteacher), Mrs Wilkinson (Senior Inclusion Support Worker), Mrs Layton (Superintendent) and some of their Year 5 and 6 pupils travelled to Halifax in their school minibus and were greeted by volunteers at Dean Clough Mill. The children and staff met Ivan (a Ukrainian national), who helped them unpack their minibus and take all of their donations inside. Over 50 volunteers were sorting donated goods into boxes for the next lorry to leave for Poland.
The staff and pupils met Christa Ackroyd, (journalist and presenter) who took them on a tour of the mill so that they could see first-hand how their donations were being sorted and packed. Maxwell Brown (Year 6 pupil) said:
“We even got to see our donations of nappies, clothes, toys, toiletries, bedding and Minnie Mouse being packed up, ready for the long journey to Poland!”
Through monetary donations, the school collected over £700 which they have also donated to the ‘Freedom for Ukraine’ fund and this money will be used to buy food for refugees at the Ukrainian/Polish border.
Mr Nicholson (Deputy Headteacher) said:
“The support and generosity that we have received from staff, parents and pupils has been absolutely overwhelming. We wanted to show our support to the Ukrainian community and we were so pleased when we were offered the chance to visit the depot at Dean Clough in Halifax. Christa Ackroyd was very welcoming and took time out from her busy schedule to show our pupils around the mill, giving them an experience that they will never forget. The pupils haven’t talked about anything else since!”
