Cornwall: Pupils make Christmas decorations in CAFOD fundraiser

Some of the St Mary's pupils with their handcrafted decorations

Cornish school pupils who gave up their lunchtimes to create charity Christmas decorations are celebrating after their efforts raised over £550 which will help support people in developing countries to break free from poverty.

During Advent, Year 6 pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Bodmin, decided to design and sell their own Christmas decorations in the hopes of fundraising for presents from charity CAFOD's World Gifts scheme - a range of virtual gift that supports families around the world.

For three weeks, the pupils gave up their lunchtimes to paint the decorations made from wooden discs cut by one of the parents. They sold them in the playground after school and after Mass at St Mary's Church.

Year 6 teacher, Mr Holmes, said: "At first, their target was to raise £100 to buy CAFOD World Gifts, but they were amazed at their success and had to have a second sale the next day.

"Father Ciaran, our parish priest at St Mary's Church, invited the children to speak about their fundraising project at Sunday's Advent Mass. Thanks to the generosity of the parishioners, the final total grew to a magnificent £570.41."

"Back at school, the pupils held a class discussion about how they were going to spend the money and they decided on some fantastic gifts from the CAFOD catalogue that will really make a difference.

"These included: Period packs, Water for a Family, Help for a Refugee child, Terrific Toilets, Vegetable gardens, mosquito nets, water pumps and a Home for life."

CAFOD is celebrating over a decade of World Gifts, which were established as alternative charity gifts that would help transform lives and communities.

Since its inception, the scheme has raised over £13 million, helping over 100,000 children to receive school starter kits - opening doors to education and work - and has brought hundreds of thousands of animals to families, helping to create countless small businesses.

CAFOD representative in Bodmin, Simon Giarchi, said: "Christmas is so often seen as a time of giving - and it is amazing that pupils at St Mary's were able to give something back and provide families with meaningful gifts that will help transform their lives."

Find out more at: https://worldgifts.cafod.org.uk/