Sixth Formers from Felsted School rolled up their sleeves to help out at the school’s historic Mission in East London recently.
Felsted Mission was founded a century ago as part of Ascension Church to support people in the Royal Docks area of London’s East End by providing a night shelter and food bank, as well as lunches and social activities for children and older people. Felsted pupils regularly volunteer at the Mission, and recently a group helped the staff there to renovate two of the community rooms at the church by clearing and disposing of old equipment and re-laying the carpet. Students also helped at the foodbank, serving meals to local people in need.
“It was an insightful and rewarding experience,” said Upper Sixth Former Victoria O. “We felt that we were able to help members of the local community and it was also inspiring to see the work and diligence of the volunteers and the staff at the Mission.”
‘Making a difference’ is a key part of the Felsted ethos and students and staff are encouraged to volunteer their time and energy to help others. The efforts of seven current Felsted pupils and one former pupil to support the local community were recently recognised with the presentation of prestigious Jack Petchey Achievement Awards, while Felsted art students recently assisted celebrated artist and former Felsted pupil Bruce Munro to create a 20,000-light installation to mark the 200th anniversary of the RNLI in Salcombe Bay, Devon and raise funds for a new lifeboat. The Head too is keen to get involved with good causes – Chris Townsend, alongside Felsted parent Simone Gubbins, recently rose to the challenge to complete 12 four-mile runs in 48 hours, in aid of the mental health charity YoungMinds.
In October, Felsted’s success in raising funds to support pupils from a wide range of backgrounds was recognised with the presentation of Independent School Parent magazine’s ‘Development Award for an Outstanding Fundraising Achievement 2024’. The school offers financial assistance to families and a raft of bursaries, including two fully-funded Sixth Form places each year for students from Felsted’s partner school the Royal Docks Academy, nextdoor to Felsted Mission.
“We can all make a difference to our communities,” explained Felsted Chaplain, Rev. Nigel Little. “It is such a joy to have so many volunteers who want to do all they can to help others.”
Felsted School won Boarding School of the Year 2023 at the TES Schools Awards and in March 2024 was appointed by IB-Schools.com as ‘A Top 20 UK IB School for 2023’ for excellence in academic achievement. In 2024 Felsted was also awarded a prestigious Eco-Schools’ Green Flag for their exceptional work in promoting sustainability and raising environmental awareness, Felsted was also awarded the esteemed ‘Sleep Champion’ status by the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA). To find out more about entry into Felsted, book a place at an upcoming Open Morning at www.felsted.org/opendays.
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