Girls to set off for school – at 2.30am
Nine sixth-formers at The Red Maids' School in Westbury-on-Trym are walking to school on Monday – from Clevedon.
The girls will set off at 2.30am on a 13-mile trek through Avonmouth and Shirehampton, which they are confident will get them to their Bristol school in time for lessons.
Their sponsored effort is part of a continuing drive to raise money for children in orphanages in Moldova.
It is inspired by twin sisters Emma and Lucy Watson, who spent their last summer holidays working in an orphanage and who have already been back to Moldova with supplies they collected in school.
Emma said: "There's a lot of work to be done. Eventually we want to set up projects for the children for when they leave the orphanages as well as taking doctors and physiotherapists out there to see if we can help some of the children with physical disabilities."
For now, though, the students are concentrating on fundraising and collecting more donations to send directly to the orphanages.
"We hope to raise a lot of money through sponsorship for the walk," said Emma. And we won't be missing any school as we should arrive in time for the morning assembly!"
Headmistress Isabel Tobias said: "This is something that the students have set up and organised themselves. They have a real commitment to making things happen and we are supporting them in any way we can."
3 Comments
by alison, bristol
Friday, May 08 2009, 8:09AM
“This is an impressive fundraising attempt by girls who have a real desire to help others. Chris' assumptions are unfounded as the article does not atate that the girls would be leaving from home. It appears Chris has an axe to grind about transport and has chosen to vent this opinion against some teenagers that are making an effort to do good.”
by Emma and Cat, Bristol
Thursday, May 07 2009, 11:14AM
“Seven out of nine of us doing the walk live within 2 miles (a short walking distance) of our school, but seeing as this is easily achievable on a day-to-day basis, we thought that in order to raise money for our charity, we would walk from the house of the person who lives furthest away. We're sorry that you find our attempt to raise money for this worthy cause damaging, but we wanted to clarify that your assumption that we are "normally ferried miles to school" is inaccurate.”
by Chris, Redland
Thursday, May 07 2009, 8:06AM
“I assume a prime example of children normally ferried miles to school by parents in cars clogging up our roads unnecessarily. These children should go to school more locally!”