Pupils funding for new shelter box

Buy photos » First year pupils Sophie Hill, Caitlin Haskins, Luis Bacon, Cole Andrews and Sam Elcocks will join school volunteer Nathan John in raising as much money as possible to buy a life-saving shelter box. (s)

A VALE school has teamed up with Pershore Rotary Club to help give people in poverty a new lease of life.

Pupils and staff at Abbey Park First School in Pershore are raising funds to buy a shelter box for people whose lives have been devastated by a natural disaster.

Each box contains a tent large enough to provide shelter for an extended family and includes essential day-to-day equipment such as water containers, cooking stoves, utensils and blankets.

The exact content of the box depends on the disaster and the country they are being sent to.

The idea for the project came after the success of a recent Community Open Day at the School when the Rotary Club installed a shelter box tent in the main hall which attracted a lot of interest among the pupils.

To raise the money, children along with members of Pershore Rotary Club and the School, are holding a bring and buy sale at the end of the month.

Headteacher David Johnson said: "We are always looking for opportunities to raise the children’s awareness of those in the world that are less fortunate than ourselves.

"Holding an event to raise money to buy a Shelter Box will be very rewarding for the children. Each box is given a unique reference number so we will be able to find out when and where our Box has been sent."