Pupils from Oswestry School’s prep department, Bellan House, and the senior school boarding community have donated a whopping 468.75kg of food to the Oswestry and Borders foodbank.
The foodbank is a project that was started in 2011 by people from local churches who worked together to try and stop hunger in the Oswestry area. Initially the foodbank operated from the Kingswell Centre, but by 2012 it moved to its current premises in Beatrice Street.
Oswestry School held their annual harvest festivals in the school chapel. One service is for the 134 pupils who board at the school. These children come from over 20 different countries across the world and, given the differences in climate and crops, for some the British festival took place at a very different time in the year to that which they are used to. Sixth Form pupil Daren Guan, from Hong Kong, matched the cost of the boarding community’s offering with his own donation. The second harvest festival celebration is held for parents and pupils of the prep department, Bellan House and children were eager to donate whatever they could.
Liz, who works with the foodbank said, “468.75kg is an all-time record for a school and Oswestry School smashed their previous year’s record; we are very, very grateful. There is now a huge amount of work to process all this food and all of it is so needed. A special thank you must go to Daren in Holbache House.”
Rev. Andrew Cranston, Chaplain and head of religious studies at Oswestry School, organised the harvest festival services for the school and firmly believes in the crucial support offered by foodbanks all over the country. The school is now eagerly awaiting the community total once all has been collected.