Hazlegrove pupil Francesca Bedford made her birthday party a special occasion for others less fortunate that herself when she decided to ask her friends to donate money to SOS Africa instead of giving her presents.
The Bedfords are regular visitors to Africa and have visited many of the southern countries. They have friends who live in the townships and know the meaning of the word poverty. The charity “SOS Africa” is like very few others as it promises to send all donations directly to educate the children of South Africa.
In 2009 Francesca’s brother, Rory, also asked for donations at his party and raised £257 for SOS Africa so Francesca was determined to raise more. On the day sixteen guests arrived with cards and money, some incredibly generous – one thoughtful girl decided to match the amount donated by her mother by doubling it with her own pocket money. Donations were also received from friends who could not attend. In all, Francesca managed to raise £280, beating Rory by some margin!
Matthew Crowcombe, founder of SOS Africa and a former Hazlegrove pupil expressed his thanks both to Hazlegrove School and to the Bedford family “SOS Africa receives many donations worldwide but it is events like this that make our fundraising really special.”