News

Upper School Charity Presentation

Posted 17/06/09

Charity Committee and Council Raise Money for Lepra

At the start of the academic year, the School Charity Committee was contacted by Ms. Jackie Fairbairn, a representative of Lepra. Lepra is a medical development charity with a mission to restore health and to combat those suffering from Leprosy around the world.

In 1924 the British Empire Leprosy Relief Association was formed with the boldly stated aim "to rid the Empire of leprosy". It was set up as a medical organisation to spearhead outpatient work instead of the traditional segregatory methods and to foster research into all aspects of the disease.

Leprosy is primarily a disease of the nerves and areas of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions are the primary external symptom. Left untreated, leprosy can be progressive, causing permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes. Contrary to popular belief, leprosy does not directly cause body parts to fall off on their own accord; instead they become disfigured or amputated as a result of disease symptoms.

Lepra wished to come into school and conduct some aerobics activities with our Key Stage 3 pupils.

The School Council took on the idea and arranged the activities. Pupils were to be sponsored to take part in an aerobics session with all monies raised going to Lepra. Over a series of four weeks with considerable help from the PE Department and Year Heads, the pupils raised £1401.09. Ms. Fairbairn of Lepra was presented with a cheque for this amount by our current Head of School, Carl Moreton, and next year's Head of School, Chris Schofield.

Next year, the School Council hopes to improve on this amount and involve all section of the school in raising more money to help other, less advantaged young people around the world.

Mr. C. Turbitt.

If you are interested in further reading, please follow these links. http://www.lepra.org.uk/home.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leprosy

http://www.who.int/lep/en/

To donate further

http://www.lepra.org.uk/donate_now.asp

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