Published on: Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Yesterday our Third and Fourth Form pupils took part in the Coronation weekend National 'Big Help Out'. The objective of this initiative is to raise awareness of volunteering throughout the UK and provide opportunities for people to experience volunteering and make a difference in their communities.
The weather held off and the groups had a lot of fun getting into our local community and helping out. Some walked around Taunton clearing up litter and making the town look beautiful, others visited two care homes and entertained the residents with music and singing and interesting conversation. Two groups conducted a Bio Blitz, looking for and recording various examples of wildlife in hedgerows and meadows. One group helped with gardening at a community garden and four groups visited local churches to help tidy up church yards.
Meanwhile, back at school, pupils helped to arrange and categorise the items donated by pupils, parents and members of staff toward the collection for the North Devon Against Domestic Abuse refuge.
The Big Help Out is supported by some of the UK’s biggest volunteer organisations, including the Scouts and the Royal Voluntary Service, as well as the Shaping the Future with Volunteering Group of the UK’s leading volunteer-involving charities. The Big Help Out is open to all, and any organisation or individual can join in with or register for an event via the app.
Upon launching the Big Help Out, Chief Scout Bear Grylls said: “It’s not just in times of crisis that we step up. Volunteering - whether formal or informal - is what powers our communities from Scout leaders to football coaches, collecting the shopping for an elderly neighbour to helping out at the school fete. We are delighted to be a central part of the Coronation weekend, particularly given The King and The Queen Consort’s long history of support for volunteering."
Our School Chaplain, Father Mark, would like to thank all the staff who took charge and every pupil who reached out into our town in a spirit of generosity and kindness.
