“Mighty Oaks From Little Acorns Grow”

This week we were delighted to be invited back into Cronton C. of E. Primary School to meet with representatives of the School Council, a representative of the Parents, Teachers and Friends Association (PTFA) and the Reverend Lynn from Cronton Mission Church which is an integral part of the school.

Last year, the Cronton children raised a massive £1,592.99 for ACE, including for the “Buy a Breakfast” Appeal, in so many different and creative ways. They organised a Tanzanian Marketplace and, at the initiative of a parent, a “dress down” day when the children were able to go into school in their sports kit. The money raised from this was then used to buy sports equipment for the school. The children also donated a huge number of football shirts, shorts and other items of sportswear that they had grown out of or no longer used for us to take out to the children at Arise School. Needless to say, the Arise pupils were delighted to receive these things and could not wait to try them on!

This year, once again, the children of Cronton School are looking to raise money for ACE. We were able to update the meeting on recent developments at Arise School and the priorities at the moment. It is always very important to us that those who take the time and make the effort to fundraise for the charity should be able to have a say in how the money they raise is spent.

One of the current needs at Arise School is to be able to collect rain water for irrigation. In particular, they want to grow fruit and vegetables to supplement the food that the children receive. Guttering is needed to collect rain during the rainy season and water tanks for storage.

The School Council representatives were very interested in this idea and immediately started to come up with their thoughts on some innovative and exciting ways of fundraising. As the next step, they will feedback to the other children in their respective classes and seek their ideas. It will then be discussed by the whole School Council. The PTFA will also discuss their ideas as will the Church Mission.

Whatever is decided, we know that “mighty oaks from little acorns grow”. We also know that it will be great to work with the Cronton children, their parents, friends and the church community again. We thank them for all their generosity and support.