The Roche School has always been dedicated to engaging with the community: every Christmas, pupils entertain elderly residents at The Pines Care Home with lively singing; a 2019 Crisis appeal saw the school gather 33 bags of donations for the homeless; innumerable collections and events over the years have seen pupils passionately raising funds for their four local house charities.
However, in September 2020, The Roche School launched a new community initiative that would prove to be their most successful yet.
Teacher and budding philanthropist Lydia Loxton, who masterminds The Roche School’s charitable projects, was already a volunteer for South-West London charity Dons Local Action Group (DLAG), and she wondered if they might be an appropriate partner for the school. DLAG was set up to help local families and individuals survive during the Covid-19 cost-of-living crisis by dispensing essential items like food and sanitary products. They seemed the perfect organisation with whom The Roche School might create a meaningful link.
In September 2020, the school began a Foodbank Friday campaign, inviting families to donate products for DLAG on a bi-weekly basis. The amount collected was far more than DLAG and The Roche School had ever anticipated. Soon enough, the school was fully stocked with nappies, baby bottles and non-perishable foods, ready to be transported to DLAG’s Wandsworth hub.
“I was utterly overwhelmed by the response,” exclaimed a grateful Miss Lydia, highlighting that Roche families generously contributed “piles of high quality donations.” The success of the project propelled the school to continue a weekly or biweekly Foodbank Friday and they have now run it around 30 times, on occasion gathering over 100 items.
To further The Roche School’s community spirit and pupil understanding, Miss Lydia decided to arrange for pupils to volunteer at the DLAG hub in person. They packed over 50 boxes of food, even writing thoughtful notes for the recipients, and unloaded the deliveries van that arrived throughout the day.
Roche pupils benefited considerably from such trips; not only did they learn what the charity did and where school collections went, but they also gained a strong understanding of the difficulties faced by nearby families. As one pupil commented, “By packing the boxes, I’m helping someone to be fed.” Miss Lydia is eager to keep running the trip to further expand the minds of her young charges.
The Roche School’s desire to engage with the community in this way has had a profound impact.
Firstly, the campaign undoubtedly benefited those receiving the items, who gratefully made comments like “I’m just so thankful for everything you’ve done.” DLAG Co-Founder Xavier Wiggins equally applauded the school’s commitment, emphasising that they had made “a tangible difference to those in our communities who are in need,” and contributed substantially to some of the 165 households given parcels each month.
Secondly, the act of giving proved effective for teaching the children about issues beyond the curriculum. Pupils developed their compassion and understanding that many families struggle to buy food. One pupil agreed, noting that “I’m very lucky to have everything that I have at home.”
DLAG Co-Founder Craig Wellstead and Miss Lydia underline that charitable activity provides an important lesson for children; “It enhances their feeling of gratitude and is a great leveller.”
Perhaps even more importantly, The Roche School’s commitment to DLAG has led them to design a template to inspire other schools. Wellstead commended the school for asking to visit the hub in the first place, noting that they had created “a blueprint for [others]” that is “key to raising awareness.” The Roche School’s idea has already encouraged Wellstead to invite pupils from different primaries to the hub. He now plans to play The Roche School’s DLAG video to every primary school in the three boroughs they support, and coax one school each week to start a similar initiative.
The Roche School is proud of how an initially tentative idea has had such a wide impact. The children continue to visit the DLAG hub whilst collecting monthly donations for underprivileged toddlers and fundraising for their house charities. The school’s engagement with the community is far from over.
