Strathaven pupils raise over £3000 for charity

May 18 2011 by Lynda Nicol, East Kilbride News

PUPILS at St Patrick’s Primary School in Strathaven have handed over cheques totalling a fantastic £3606 to three charities.

The cash was raised by youngsters in the school and nursery class, which have a total of just 135 pupils.

Included in the final total was the sum of £459 raised by the 37 pupils in the nursery class, which head teacher Iain McGuire said was itself worthy of the highest praise.

Cheques for £1202 each were presented at a ceremony in the school on Friday to representatives from Cancer Research, the Marsal Project which, through St Patrick’s Church in Strathaven, supports a fledgling school in India, and St Peter’s School in Lawra, Ghana.

The cheque for Cancer Research was collected on their behalf by the charity’s area volunteer manager, Rowan Main, for the Marsal Project by Frances Finlayson and by Martina Hendry for St Peter’s School.

They were presented to the charities by members of the pupil council, Linzi McGraw, Mairi Anne Mitchell and Liam Conway.

Mr McGuire paid tribute to the school’s pupil council for their organisational skills and to the senior pupils for their commitment and dedication during Lent.

He added: “Their thoughtfulness for children less fortunate than themselves, both at home and abroad, was evident throughout the fundraising period by the way they unstintingly gave up their own time at intervals and lunchbreaks, organised their stalls and donated prizes from their own pocket money, with a little help from mum and dad. They are a credit to their parents and to the school.”