Pupils at Newcastle School for Boys have committed themselves to supporting their local community on a weekly basis through the School's Voluntary Service Club.
The club, which was introduced this academic year and currently runs at the junior end of the school, has seen great popularity amongst the pupils aged between seven and 11. The club was launched initially with the boys collaborating to think of different ways they could serve their community and then agree upon which acts of service they would initiate first.
The pupils from the Gosforth-based, boys-only, independent school have carried out activities both in their immediate area as well as impacting on wider areas of the region. A particularly popular activity has been litter-picking, with many of the boys purchasing their own little picker, to make collections both in the streets local to the School, Gosforth Park, and they also lead their fellow pupils in Years 3 to 6 on a mass beach-clean on Tynemouth Longsands and Tynemouth Park. With just their first litter pick in Gosforth Park alone, the boys collected over 4kgs of rubbish.
It’s not just environmental issues the pupils wish to tackle, they have also aimed to spread happiness throughout the community with the messages of hope and positivity. The boys painted small rocks with kind thoughts and quotes before distributing them around the local area for others to find in the hope that they would spark joy in their day. Most recently, the boys took to baking biscuits which were delivered to the nurses on the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at the Great North Childrens’ Hospital to help them through a long night shift and to show their appreciation for the vital work they do.
The litter pick wasn’t the only time the club members brought their work to the wider pupil-body at the School, they also led on a donation drive for Feeding Families’ food bank as part of their Harvest Festival celebrations. Members of the Voluntary Service Club were then invited to the Feeding Families packing centre in Blaydon to help with the construction of food boxes and to learn more about the work delivered by the charity.
Junior School Assistant Head (Character Development) James Clark said of the club ‘We’re incredibly proud of how keen the pupils have been to become involved in Voluntary Service club and of how successful it has been.
At Newcastle School for Boys we place a great emphasis on character development within our pupils and the roles they play within the wider community. This is largely underpinned by our Character Compass which focusses on developing community, integrity, resilience, courage, leadership and empathy in our boys. Arguably, the club allows for the opportunity to develop all of these character traits but particularly their community spirit and understanding of what it means to be a positive member of that community.’
The club look forward to more fantastic opportunities over the remainder of this academic year including further charity drives and developing an ongoing relationship with local care homes providing both physical support and friendship to residents.