Pupils part with cuddly toys for charity

Pupils at Whyteleafe Primary School have been parting company with their soft toys to help an African village.

The children have been arriving at the Surrey school with their fluffy friends over the last few weeks so money can be raised for the Kenyan village of Kimilili which already has links with the school.
A special assembly was held on Wednesday when pupils were told about  a group of teachers who are heading to Kenya to carry out voluntary work in the village later this year.
“We are delighted to be helping the charity once again and I am very proud of the children for giving-up a cuddly toy to help,” said head teacher John Williams.
Geraint Jenkins, a retired geography teacher from de Stafford School, will be heading to Kenya with former Whyteleafe teachers Barbara Whiteford and Sarah Berke to work as volunteers at the village’s schools and hospital.
The charity Community, Health and Education for the Children of Kimilili (CHECK) was founded by Mr Jenkins who spent time working in the African village schools as a newly qualified teacher in 1974. It supports two primary schools, two secondary schools, an adult education centre and hospital.
The donated cuddly toys will be sold at a summer fair at Whyteleafe Primary School and the money will be used to support the charity’s work. Pupils have been writing to the primary pupils  for a number of years, as well as sending gifts of stationery and money to support the schools.
For more information about the charity, see the website www.checkkimilili.com