Girls and staff at Badminton School in Westbury-on-Trym have raised a stunning £9,240 over the past six months for St Peter’s Hospice by recycling old and unwanted clothing.
During the past year, the School has set up a recycling textile bank on site. The items are sold throughout St Peter’s Hospice charity shops all over Bristol and all money raised will pay for twenty children to be supported through the Hospice’s FLAGS scheme (Family Liaison and Grief Support) which provides specialist counselling, therapy and support for children who have experienced the trauma of losing a parent.
Recycling is very important to the girls at Badminton who have formed a Go Green Committee, concerned with caring for the environment, and routinely recycle cartridges, paper and CDs in School. The Go Green Committee has already achieved Silver Eco Status and is currently working towards Badminton becoming a Gold Eco School.
Badminton is very much part of the local Bristol community and many of the girls and staff raise funds for local charities on a regular basis. During the past year Badminton pupils have raised money for Children’s Hospice South West, Weston Hospicecare, St Peter’s Hospice, Step Away from the Streets, Breast Cancer, British Legion, World Land Trust, Teenage Cancer Trust, End Polio Now and the Stoke Association.
In addition, many of the girls and staff volunteer in Bristol schools. Staff and Sixth Formers at Badminton run science days for pupils from Elmlea and other primary schools in Weston-Super-Mare. Language days are held at Westbury-on-Trym and Hotwells primary schools, drama workshops at Henleaze and the girls have also been listening to children read at Horfield Primary. Music students have visited many local primary and prep schools, providing music workshops and local school children are regularly invited to Badminton to hear visiting authors. The Under 11 Primary Schools Netball Tournament was hosted at Badminton and Mathematics master classes have been held at the School for Sixth Formers from across all Bristol Secondary Schools preparing for Oxbridge. In addition, every week Badminton Modern Language teachers visit Westbury-on-Trym Primary Academy weekly to teach French.
Said Headmistress, Jan Scarrow: “I am a firm believer that we need to teach our pupils to give as well as take. Supporting others, volunteering and giving of both time and money should be part of every girl’s life. Badminton is very much part of the Bristol community and it is vital that we support our local charities and schools as much as we can. The school community here is very warm and friendly and girls are expected to respect themselves and other people, to look after and support each other”.