Bulwell school helps homeless charity

All night fundraiser, The Big Snore, raised in excess of £300 for the cause.

It was following a visit to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Academy in Piccadilly, by representatives of the Canaan Trust who gave a talk to Year 6 pupils, that the children asked if they could do something positive to help the homeless charity.

Headteachers Pauline Lynch and Celine Toner approached the school’s Home Support Worker Julie Abbott with a proposition and as a result more than 50 pupils took on sponsorship of the Big Snore and backed by supportive adults made the event a fun-packed success.

“The children slept in their home-made dwellings made from paper,cardboard and waste materials and experienced how a homeless person might survive living under the stars,” said Mrs Lynch. “They also set up a Food Bank and contributed all manner of goods which will go to the homeless.”

A competition for the best made dwelling was won by George Cooper and Niamh Foster whose contrasting efforts set the standards.

“Lessons have been learned from the Big Snore initiative and the children realise that they are very lucky to have loving families and nice homes,” added Mrs Lynch.

“Money is still coming in in support of the Big Snore and there is a likelihood that we might champion the cause of the charity again in the future.

Our Lady’s Academy would like to thank local supermarkets including Morrisons, FarmFoods, and the Co-op all situated in Bulwell, for their generous support of its Food Bank initiative.”

First formed as the Aspire Trust in 1995, the organisation, which is an independent Christian charity based in Long Eaton and supports homeless men aged from 16 to 54, changed its name to the Canaan Trust in 2005.

Run by a board of volunteer trustees Canaan Trust UK serves the needs of homeless men, helping them to regain their dignity and encouraging them to embrace life in a positive way.