Pupils’ £10k refugee cash
MORE than £10,000 has been raised for a city charity supporting refugees and asylum seekers thanks to the efforts of fundraising school pupils.
PortsmouthHighSchool’s outgoing Head Girl team presentedachequefor£10,150.48 to Veronica Dunne, chair of Friends Without Borders.
This charity provides support for asylum seekers, refugeesandvulnerablemigrants within the Portsmouth area.
Head Girl Annalee Macfarlane, 18, said: ‘We were so pleased to raise this amount as Friends Without Borders is such an amazing charity in our local area.
‘Asayeargroupweworked so hard to put on a set of successfuleventsthroughoutthe year, despite much of it being affected by Covid-19 restrictions.
‘Our motivation was always to raise as much money as we could for such a worthwhile cause as well as engaging the whole school in activities and providing so much excitement and fun after a hard couple of years.’
Themajorityofthemoney wasraisedduringtheschool’s charity week, which culminates in a fashion show run by the Sixth Form.
The theme this year was music icons and the pupils devised their own choreography for the walks and dances.
Miss Dunne said: ‘I was totally blown away when I was told how much the girls had raised. What amazing people they are to have so much empathy and understanding at such young ages.
‘They will go far in society withthesetremendousattributes and we are truly grateful tothemforchoosingourcharity to support.’
MissDunnewasaccompanied by charity trustee Sharon Brooks, who added: ‘This amount of money will keep our drop-in sessions open for a whole year. We are so grateful to these young women.’
Friends Without Borders runs a regular drop-in support session and its Access to JusticeprojectfromAllSaints ChurchonCommercialRoad.
Katie Wood, head of Sixth Form, said: ‘Our Head Girl Team have been totally inclusive, creating opportunities for the whole school to get behind their efforts. They have encounteredsomuchdisruption and uncertainty over the last couple of years, but it is typical of them to continue to put others first, and to overcome every obstacle in order to hit the hugely ambitious target they set themselves.’