Mansfield students donate funds from cancelled Nepal expedition to charity instead

Students from The Brunts Academy have been fundraising over the last 12 months and raised £7,000 for the once-in - lifetime trip, which was supposed to take place in July.

The students hosted a variety of fundraising activities, including an expedition in the Peak District, bake sales and organised a spring festival, all with the intention of helping local communities through their voluntary work when they reached Nepal.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Nepal expedition has had to be cancelled as there is no way the safety and protection of students and staff can be guaranteed.

Michael Lucas, principal at the Brunts Academy, said: “This is so disappointing and such a difficult decision to make but one which could not have been avoided.”

Following the cancellation of the trip, the school was unable to reimburse the fundraising money to donors as the money came from a variety of sources.

The expedition students therefore voted on how they would like to donate the money and reached a unanimous decision to split the funds between The Sherwood Forest NHS Trust and Community Action Nepal.

Mr Lucas added: “We are so proud of our students who have helped to raise the incredible amount of money of £6,800.

“We will of course look forward to starting the planning for a future expedition once it is safe to do so.”