PUPILS at Forest and Sandridge School have once again donated their shoes to children who live in some of the poorest communities in the Philippines.
On the last day of the school year, pupils donated 198 pairs of shoes that had been outgrown to the charity, Mercy in Action. This is the third year the school has taken part in the initiative, organised by retired teaching assistant, Sue Henderson, who is an ambassador of the charity. The children have now donated 749 pairs of shoes since taking part.
Deputy headteacher Helen Biles-Wood said, “Mercy in Action is a charitable organisation, based in Bath, which works with children and families in the Philippines where good quality shoes are a luxury out of reach of the poor.
“However, the children there are still expected to wear shoes to school and can be penalised if they don’t; for example they are not allowed to go to school if they do not have shoes to wear. We have asked our families to consider passing on old shoes so that a child in the Philippines can go to school. By donating outgrown school shoes, the students are enabling another child to fulfil their dream of an education.”