Harborough secondary school will hold non-uniform day to raise urgent funds for Ukrainian children fleeing their homeland

It’s being staged by the students’ school council – and it will generate money for the United Nations’ Unicef children’s charity
Erin Hickey (school council chairperson) and vice chair Lidia Wood Garzon.Erin Hickey (school council chairperson) and vice chair Lidia Wood Garzon.
Erin Hickey (school council chairperson) and vice chair Lidia Wood Garzon.

A secondary school in Market Harborough is holding a non-uniform day on Friday (March 4) to raise urgent funds for Ukrainian children fleeing their homeland.

The special event is going ahead at Welland Park Academy on Welland Park Road.

It’s being staged by the students’ school council – and it will generate money for the United Nations’ Unicef children’s charity.

“The world has watched, horrified, at the unfolding events in Ukraine as Russian forces have attacked and women and children have fled as refugees whilst husbands, sons, and fathers have stayed to defend their home,” said the school today.

“As helpless as we may feel watching events unfold on a TV screen we are determined to do what we can to help Ukraine’s 7.5 million children who have had their lives, safety, homes and education put at risk.”

Welland Park Academy’s school council have organised the fundraiser in just days to help their under-fire counterparts in Ukraine.

The panel of students with representatives from every year group met at 8am yesterday morning (Tuesday) to get behind students in the war-battered eastern European country.

“Within an hour, the students had organised a non-uniform day to take place this week with every student and member of staff asked to make a contribution of £1 or more for the chance to wear their civvies to school for the day,” said Welland Park Academy.

Caroline Bowden, the school’s assistant principal at the academy, has worked alongside the school council on the fundraiser.

“Here at Welland Park Academy our motto is learning for life and sadly there are times in all our lives when what we learn is about the suffering and tragedy of others.

“As helpless as we may feel watching the situation in Ukraine unfold from afar, and as unfathomable as it is, our role in school is to help our young people attempt to make sense of world events,” said Caroline.

“This fundraiser was the student council’s way of doing something to help in a situation where we all feel we wish we could do more to alleviate the suffering of the innocent children caught up in conflict.”

Such is the strength of feeling among the staff and student body of Welland Park Academy that donations have already been pouring in ahead of Friday’s non-uniform day.

If you would like to help, donations to Unicef can be made to Welland Park Academy school office until 5pm on Monday March 7.

You can check out the school’s website here: https://www.wellandparkacademy.co.uk/You can read more about Unicef’s work to help children in Ukraine here: www.unicef.org.uk