Newark: Brant Broughton Church of England Methodist Primary School students sleep outside for Mandala Trust
Children spent a night under the stars in an effort to learn about the struggles of refugees.
A total of 21 pupils from years five and six of Brant Broughton Church of England Methodist Primary School slept on the school field to raise money for the Mandala Trust.
The event tied in with their school project, Where Is Home?, which teaches the students about homelessness and refugees.
Head Elaine Bedford said: “The students had a great time. It’s important at the moment because we are very much in the mind that children need to be prepared for what they are going into. They need to find out what’s going on in the rest of the world.
“We try to bring real life scenarios to them.
“I don’t think most of them had even heard of a refugee.”
The children began the evening by walking for 30 minutes around the village with their belongings on their back to replicate the experience of refugees.
They then went back to the school to play games, had a camp-fire and completed other fun activities.
Pupils Jack Tomblin said: “At one point I did some sketching to take a moment away from the hustle and bustle of the evening. This helped me to reflect on the tricky times other refugees might be going through while moving or living away from their home.”
Another student, Caitlin Fraser, added: “The most memorable bit for me was when I walked into the school gate at around 9:30pm.
“As soon as I entered, I was greeted with a huge hug from my classmates. This made me feel like a refugee and being reunited with my family again.”
