Children eat porridge for charity

Caring youngsters put their money where their mouths were and attended a breakfast to raise funds for charity – and helped provide meals for hungry school children around the world.

The pupils from St Cuthbert’s Catholic First School took part in the early morning event at St Cuthbert’s Parish Centre in Berwick, where parishioners were invited to join the children for a porridge breakfast, with all money raised going to Mary’s Meals.

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The school has a longstanding association with the charity, which provides nutritious school meals for over 2.4 million children in some of the world’s most impoverished countries. And St Cuthbert’s latest fundraising initiative raised £86 – enough to provide meals for four pupils for an entire year.

St Cuthbert’s Mini Vinnies charity campaigners helped organise the fundraiser, with assistance from the group’s co-ordinator Linda Moffatt, headteacher Clare McGregor, and Our Lady and St Cuthbert’s parishioner James Bruce.

“The idea was to bring in money for the porridge breakfast and this would go to Mary’s Meals,” said Mrs McGregor. “We also asked the whole school community if they wanted to donate, and collected any money prior to the event.

“Our Mini Vinnies, along with some children from Class 3 in school, met up to donate to this amazing charity and enjoy breakfast together. It costs just £19.15 to feed a child for a whole year!

“Our Mini Vinnie president presented the money to James Bruce, who organised the event from our parish.”

St Cuthbert’s, a member of the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust, regularly engages in charity work.

“We have taken part in the parish porridge breakfast for Mary’s Meals for a good few years now,” continued Mrs McGregor.

“Our Mini Vnnie group tries to support different local and international projects as part of their work and their motto ‘Turn concern into action’.”