Charitable Highfield Leadership Academy pupils are supporting young people facing Christmas on the streets through donations of warm winter clothing.

Our school arranged a collection of hats, scarves, gloves and socks in aid of Blackpool charity Streetlife. Around six sacks of warm winter clothing has been donated to Streetlife following an appeal as part of the Academy’s Kindness Calendar. This initiative during December encourages pupils to perform acts of kindness and consider ways in which they can support others in their local community during the festive period.

Helen Mackenzie OBE, Highfield’s Principal, said,

“Streetlife is a very worthy local charity and one which our school has supported before. It works to address the underlying causes of youth homelessness in Blackpool and find solutions to help get young people off the street. At Highfield, through our winter gift programme, we have been thinking of others in our town who may need support at this time of year. We were keen to make a difference to the lives of young people living on the streets by letting them know that our school community cares about them and by making these donations of warm clothing.”

Year 8 pupil Leah Sutherland commented,

“We should help charities like Streetlife because I think it is important that everyone has a happy Christmas. Some of the people who will get these donations are only a few years older than me.  It makes realise how lucky I am.”

This is the second charity appeal our school has made this month – last week Highfield pupils and staff donated items of food to Blackpool Food Partnership which provides a food bank service to local people facing food poverty. For more information about our charitable activities during December, visit our Festive Winter Gift Programme web page.

Through the Festive Winter Gift Programme, all schools run by Star Academies aim to offer support to the most vulnerable people – young and old – in their communities, those who are unwell, elderly, living in care, those who experience loneliness or food poverty. The Trust’s aim is to ensure that no one in the communities around its schools goes without a card or a gift at this festive time of year.