PICTURE GALLERY: Kenyan Orphanages benefit from school's effort

The school has a connection to the orphanages through Mrs Mary Dorrans a teacher who has acted as a supply teacher to the school for the last four years and her husband Rev Eddie Dorrans who addresses the pupils in Assembly once a month.

Mary and Eddie have worked in Kenya over the years most recently working with the children in Kids Alive and Morning Star Orphanages. Last year Mary and Eddie attended a special assembly in which they showed photographs of their time in Kenyaa and told the pupils of the lives of the children in the orphanages.

The pupils were struck by how little these children had and the daily hardship they faced and decided to raise money to buy some much needed resources for them.

Before half-term the pupils from Nursery to P7 enjoyed a non-uniform day when children paid a penalty for being out of uniform. Red was the chosen colour for staff and pupils to wear to school for the day. Faces were painted – including the Principal's! Mrs Evans was sponsored by parents, pupils and staff to have her face painted as a cheetah and to greet parents at home time.

Hazel Henry, P1 classroom assistant, baked and iced 150 cup cakes which were sold at break time. Nursery pupils held a Sponsored Sing; P1 to P3 a Sponsored Silence and P4 to P7 a Sponsored Read.

Mary returned to Assembly after half term to collect the cheque for 553.23 and to thank the children and parents for their tremendous fund raising effort. She described how the money would double in value in Kenya and would be used to buy shoes for children who have to walk bare foot on thorny ground or to buy new beds so that they no longer had to sleep four to a bed.

Mary and Eddie are returning to Kenya after Easter where Eddie who was an engineer before he entered ministry will help design and build a Bridge of Hope in Kenya. The pupils hope that Mary will come back to school to share more news of the children in the Kids Alive and Morning Star Orphanages.