Having just finished their first charity dodgeball competition of the year, Felsted students thought it would be the perfect time to reflect on some of the charitable causes that they support.
A small group of students from the Charities Team were able to visit The Felsted Mission and Ascension Church in February, located in North London’s docklands, where they had the opportunity to support the food bank. Some of the students collected the generous donations from the local supermarket, which was then supplemented with necessities such as milk, paid for with monetary donations.
The rest of the pupils compiled items into bags, in preparation for people to collect them the next day. Due to COVID, the charity has experienced a shortage of volunteers, so the Felsted Team were able to help them organise the backlog in their storeroom and provide a helping hand.
This partnership can be traced back to the mid-19th century, when the poor but developing area of Royal Docks was brought to the attention of the Headmaster of Felsted. His actions in response then led to the founding of the Felsted School Mission Association, which proposed that every master, prefect and pupil pay a subscription to the Association.
Emily T, one of the students in the Charity Team, discusses how rewarding she found the work “Interacting directly with people and hearing personal stories of how much the food bank means to them was touching.”
Over Christmas, Felsted were involved in providing gift hampers for children and those who were in need over the holidays. Students then described the pure joy they witnessed, as people received an unexpected addition to their food bank parcel in the form of Christmas gifts for their children, and therefore they want to continue this work as much as possible throughout the year.
After visiting the foodbank, students also stopped at the garden cafe, where each of them were able to enjoy a hot chocolate and subsequently donate a ‘SUSPENDED CUPPA’. This is where for every drink purchased, someone who cannot afford it would be able to have a drink or a meal without worrying about paying for it.
Whilst here, students got to meet Hannah Tulloch, the Trust’s CEO. She was able to tell stories about her journey with The Felsted Mission and about the impact that the charity has on the local community. Hannah features on the school’s podcast series FelsTED Talks, which you can now listen to on their website.
For over a hundred years, the links between The Ascension Church and the Felsted School Mission in the East End of London have continued to grow and develop. The Ascension Church works with the local community providing youth activities, promoting fitness and social interaction, and Felsted’s efforts will continue to aid this long into the future.
Categories: Felsted School School News
