Published: Thursday, 2nd October, 2008 03:00
Southcote charity pair awarded
Comments (0)
Print Article
SOUTHCOTE pupils who ran a marathon, organised non-uniform days and even sold Holy socks and golf balls to raise money for charity have been given an award.
Sixth formers Matthew Houlton, 18, and Zoe Bayliss, 18, who were head boy and girl at Blessed Hugh Faringdon in Fawley Road, have been given the Headteacher’s Award for their charity work and also for raising money to take part in a Catholic World Youth Day in Australia.
Matthew, who has just started studying law at King’s College, London, said: “Being head boy and girl meant juggling a mixture of things, trying to get good grades at the end of it but also make a difference. It helped increase my confidence too.” The pair raised just over £12,000 by speaking at schools and churches, selling golf balls and socks imprinted with Bible verses, and completing the Great South Run. They donated £2,000 to Catholic aid charity CAFOD and also gave money to the Nyumbani Aids orphanage in Kenya, which Blessed Hugh Faringdon’s sixth form supports.
The trip to Australia in July, attended by 223,000 young people from 170 countries, cost £1,800 each for Matthew, Zoe and fellow-students Chris Crimmins, Patrick Shiel and St Joseph’s Convent pupil Steph Bates.
Matthew said: “It was sensational. It was a big cultural learning experience.”
Other pupils receiving honours include Edward Cassidy, who got the Eleanor Fanning Award for overcoming a range of personal difficulties.
Further Details
Gaza protest in town centre