Award nomination for African school efforts
Three former Minster School pupils who launched a project to help underprivileged youngsters in Africa have been nominated for SkillsTrain Young People of the Year Award in Nottinghamshire.
Best friends Catherine Allward (18) of Daybill Close, Morton; Isabel Rennison (18) of Riverside, Southwell; and Laura Armstrong (18) of Newark Road, Southwell, have been jointly nominated for the award.
They are in the running for a top prize of £1,000.
When the Minster School, Southwell, moved to its new site, the trio, who were then in the sixth form, decided to mark the occasion by setting up a project to support children at a school in Uganda.
The girls played leading roles in the project until they left the school at the end of the summer term.
They were nominated for the award by the head of Clumber house and PE teacher, Mr Geoff Davison.
Mr Davison said: “They came up with a lot of ideas. They led assemblies to explain to the whole school what the project was about and where the money would be going and how it would be used.
“All three worked tirelessly for the project, both in school time and their own personal time.”
The girls helped set up the Ugive Uganda project with other sixth formers and staff.
The school chosen for help was Nyakagyreme in Rukingiri, which has 500 pupils aged 11 and over.
So far around £8,500 has been raised. The aim is to build two classrooms, each costing £5,000.
Any extra money raised will be used to equip the school and buy books and paper.
The girls raised a lot of money by organising cake stalls, concerts, talent competitions and games.
They also showed the project to the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, who visited the new Minster school in April, and the Earl of Wessex, who officially opened it in July.
The Archbishop and the Earl were shown a display about the project, with Isabel acting as the main spokesman.
Catherine and Laura visited Rukingiri during the summer with the help of a contribution from the school.
Isabel, now at Birmingham University, hopes to visit the school at a later date.
Catherine, on a gap year, said they were part of a team effort that set up the project and had backing from pupils, staff and villagers.
She said they met teachers and pupils at the school during their visit to Uganda.
“They blessed us and gave us gifts of local handicrafts. It was quite humbling,” she said.
During their visit, Catherine and Laura helped with community work. They also played games and entertained children at a school for the deaf, and played with children at a mental health clinic and a club-foot clinic.
Since returning to England, Catherine has given talks about her experiences and continues to campaign for the group.
Nottinghamshire County Council will host the award ceremony at County Hall in December.
The awards scheme was founded by Mr Tony Gearing, a former national newspaper journalist tired of the bad publicity given to young people.
The contest looks for young people who are positive role models.
Other nominees include Geraldine Jenkins (18) of Fenton Close, Newark, for helping to improve life on a housing estate; Natasha Kelly (16) and Gemma Mitchell (17) both of Walesby Lane, Ollerton, for encouraging people to get involved in youth activities; Stefan Prest (19) of The Crescent, Bilsthorpe, who set up a cyber café for young people; Miss Leah Halpin (23) of Hoeview Road, Cropwell Bishop, for her swimming efforts despite a disability; and Sally Austin (10) of Poplar Street, Ollerton, who helps her deaf mother to communicate.
