Eversfield pupils turn £5 into thousands for young carers in Solihull
With lockdown restrictions affecting the nation, together with social distancing and self-isolating putting a stop to some traditional methods of fundraising, Form 5 pupils at Eversfield Preparatory School got creative and took on the Fantastic Fiver Charity Challenge raising over £5000 for the school’s nominated charity Carers Trust Solihull.
Each child, aged just 9 or 10 years old, was given a £5 note and over the course of the six-week challenge used their own business ideas to raise as much money as they could to help the charity fund its programme to support young carers in Solihull.
Many decided to go virtual by holding concerts, running reading clubs and quizzes; one child broadcast an interview and appeal on behalf of the Trust touching the hearts and minds of all those who watched. Paintings were commissioned, plants potted and sold, pre-loved book fairs hosted, cars washed, an odd job service launched, cafes opened, and cottage industries established making soap and selling entertainment packs in a bag for walking treks, movie nights and camping trips. There were sponsored walks and park litter picks, sales of origami crafts, cookie and cake sales, and bespoke gift making in the form of keyrings, jewellery and bookmarks.
Peter Masters, volunteer fundraiser with Carer’s Trust Solihull, congratulated the children on their fundraising saying, “The children have approached the challenge with so much creativity and energy to overcome the obstacles to their normal fundraising; they should be very proud of their achievement in raising funds to support our young carers.”
Mr Robert Yates, Headmaster, indicated how proud he was of the children, “Compassion is at the heart of our school code and now, more than ever, we live in a world that requires us to take a fresh approach to almost every aspect of our lives and how we interact within society. I am incredibly proud of how all the children rose to the challenge and developed ingenious ways to contribute back to society and support those in our local community.”