WHAT A YEARTHANK YOU!
This year we have not only raised an enormous amount of money for various charities, but we have also hosted many collections and supported numerous charities - both far and wide!
A huge thank you to all NHEHS students, staff, parents and the wider community on supporting the countless charity endeavours this year - every little bit helped to make a huge difference in the lives of others!
OVER £10 000
10 OVER 40 RAISED FOR VARIOUS CHARITIES
COLLECTIONS FOR VARIOUS CHARITIES AND EVENTS
CHARITIES SUPPORTED BY NHEHS
NHEHS WHOLE SCHOOL VOLUNTEER DAY
To celebrate our 150th anniversary, we committed to a whole school volunteering day with every student participating, in both the junior school and senior school Students supported 30 local community activities throughout the day, including visiting care homes, primary schools and parks We welcomed over 200 visitors into school, to enjoy science lessons, sports activities and concert performances
In total, over 3500 hours were spent volunteering in the local community, which is a phenomenal achievement
Over the next few pages, there are just a few recollections from students about their time spent volunteering on various activities - enjoy!
PHOTOS FROM THE DAY
YEAR 7
Year 7 completed art works for care homes and Young Minds Matter charity in the morning, and then teamed up with their Year 12 big sister for the annual sponsored walk.
In Year 7, we painted flowers using watercolours to decorate local care homes I painted a lavender flower with other brightly coloured flowers, on a blue background I really enjoyed it because I found painting very relaxing and discovered a new hobby! It also gave me the chance to get to know my peers, and it gave me the opportunity to give back to my community Overall, very fun and would gladly repeat it Nalini
The Year 7's did so well on their paintings, I was so impressed by their skill and funny story - I didn't know we had to paint flowers, so I painted a minion Wh know what to do with it, so Mrs Adams suggested I auction it to the Year 7's t the Log Cabin One of the Year 7's actually bought my painting for £14, which w Cabin! Amara, a Year 12 helper
A group of Year 7's were involved in a workshop run by mental health charity Young Mind Matters It was an interesting and interactive session where we got to discuss mental health and come up with motivational quotes We then designed a poster to showcase our motivational quotes allowing us to express our creativity The t i t be used by the charity on their various social media platforms in the upcoming ours! Sophie
Year 7 & 12's got together in their little sister/big sister groups and made their way down to Pitshanger Park to start their Sponsored Walk
The groups had time beforehand to decide on any themes, team names and outfit ideas to make their group stand out - some great themes from On Wednesday’s we wear pink’ to the group who decided to cover themselves in blue paint, the themes were entertaining!
Most groups managed to walk at least 3 laps of the park, while keeping spirits up by singing and dancing! After the completion of the walk, students headed back to school for a well-deserved snack
A fantastic effort was made by all and the event raised over £800 for The LogCabin charity, one of the main charities that the school raises funds for throughout the year.
YEAR 8
Year 8 got involved in a variety of activities including assisting at The LogCabin, Ealing Parks, Perivale Wood, The Salvation Army Baby Bank, Honey & Grape Farm and Boston Manor Park.
A group of Year 8’s went to the Care for Calais supported hotel with Ms Myatt and Ms Tavakoly There, we played and looked after children under the age of 5 Beforehand, the Year 8’s kindly prepared fun and entertaining games and activities for the kids to enjoy Some made colourful playdough whilst others organised colouring sheets for them to do We also played with the rainbow parachute which seemed to be one of the most popular games among the children In addition, we talked and heard stories about their past Overall, we all really enjoyed this experience There was definitely a sense of fulfilment and achievement after helping and we were all really grateful to be able to participate and volunteer there It was really delightful to see the growing smiles on the kids' faces and the joy spreading Satya
At Ealing Parks, we met our instructor Carl We had a safety briefing from him and then got on our equipment, gloves and goggles We all started the work - shoveling, and shoveling We learnt a few fun facts about the wood chips, the middle of the wood chips were very hot, when it rained the mulch kept the water in the soil whereas if there wasn't any mulch, the water would evaporate The wood chips also help prevent weeds from growing We all were split into different roles, shoveling, raking and using the wheelbarrow It was all a joint effort and in the end we had finished all of our tasks and more It was very fun and we all had a laugh Charlotte
My group went to the Log Cabin, a charity that helps support children with additional needs We were asked to help tidy up in the garden area where we planted potatoes and helped pull out weeds We were also asked to organise a cabin for an upcoming event at the Log Cabin charity Overall, I think it was a really fun experience and I enjoyed helping out and seeing the little children in the playground we had tidied up Aanya
At Perivale Wood we were working on cutting down holly and other invasive species to preserve the wood. This nature reserve is an ancient bluebell wood. Every year in around April the whole wood is covered in these beautiful flowers Having holly around means that they can't grow as the trees are blocking the light We helped these flowers have space to grow again next year People often don't understand why we cut down trees but they aren't meant to be there and are killing other species who are and so it is important to help Also because the woodland is so ancient all of the oak trees are roughly the same age and so when they die there won't be any oak trees left There are hardly any young oaks because of invasive species like holly So we helped save some young trees too I often go to Perivale Wood because my mum works and volunteers there and I love the space I really enjoyed volunteering day and can't wait for next year! Daisy
The Salvation Army Baby Bank aims to provide support to families in need and to collect second-hand baby clothes as well as giving necessary equipment Upon our arrival, the lovely members of the Baby bank informed us on the purpose of the charity and gave us a tour Then, in pairs of two we created a list of the essentials for a newborn baby and an estimated price of this total, to which we were shocked The baby bank gave us a realistic price and list of items we needed to pack Our group was split into three teams who each had to create a starter kit one for a girl, boy and neutral baby Within these kits were a large moses basket which provided a variety of necessities including clothes, toys, bottles and blankets There was also a bag for mothers which had a bottle sanitiser and other items Overall, this experience was extremely gratifying and productive as we truly learnt the struggle some families unfortunately endure and were able to help our community Anishka
YEAR 9
Year 9 got involved in a variety of activities including going to local primary schools to perform Modern Foreign Language plays, assisted at the Honey & Grape Farm, Hounslow Heath, Barnes Common, and ran the Mencap Fair. There were also groups that assisted with gardening around the school.
In the afternoon, we walked to North Ealing Primary School where we met and greeted the children We started by saying our own names in Spanish, then threw around a ball to the children to ask them to say their own names in Spanish We moved on to learn the vocabulary which would be said in the play We ran through the play while all the children were listening eagerly at the vocabulary in the play that we had already learned After the play, we did another activity on Word Wall, which really grabbed the children's attention FInally, we just danced with the kids to a Spanish song to end on a fun note For the children at North Ealing, these activities improved their language, and increased their confidence In addition, it was very enjoyable, teaching and meeting everyone was a great experience!
At Drayton Green Primary School we had a great time listening to the children read We all really enjoyed chatting to the children and helping them read the words when they became stuck. We would love to visit again in the future.
My group and I planted a range of shrubbery in the courtyard to brighten up the school I found this incredibly interesting as at home I only take care of indoor plants, however, this activity enabled students to learn new skills which will be useful in the future such as weeding, using tools such as secateurs and trowels and overall learning how to take care of outdoor spaces As well as this, gardening is extremely beneficial to the environment and provides a relaxing break from the usual school routine Overall, we all thoroughly enjoyed the day we spent giving back to the community Deya
At the Honey and Grape farm, they had two tasks for us to do First, we had to re-adjust the net covering the grape vines The net is used to keep birds and other animals away from the grapes, because they like to eat them Moving the net was a whole group challenge, with vines getting tangled in it and just because the net was so big Our second task was weeding the areas around the vines Weeding is important because it helps protect the plants from pests and also because weeds take fertiliser, water and nutrients from the vines There were around 100 vines to weed and water, and we really enjoyed the experience While we were there, one of the workers told us about the history of the farm, and we learnt a lot! Charlotte
On Volunteering Day, a small group of Year 9's assisted with running the Mencap Fair The students played games and had conversations with many of the adults that arrived, who had learning disabilities Some of my favourite activities from the morning were the cookie decorating and bracelet making One visitor, Lubna, particularly enjoyed it when the Year 9's collaborated and made bracelets for her stroller, which she really appreciated Overall, this experience was enthralling and very enjoyable for both the students and the customers Thank you to the staff who helped organise this one-of-a-kind event Esha
YEAR 10
Year 10 got involved in a variety of activities including going to gardening onsite at school, assisting at The Salvation Army Baby Bank, organising packs for Days for Girls, litter picking in various local parks, doing the Amnesty International walk, and assisting with reading at local primary schools In the evening, the whole year group ran the LogCabin children's party
We organised underwear and sanitary products Additionally, we cut off the labels and organised the undergarments into sizes, in order to provide for everyone As well as this, we made period bracelets marking the average 5 days of the menstrual cycle that women experience, we marked the 5 days with 5 red beads and the other with 28 days being marked with 28 white beads representing the average 28 days between cycles Overall, it was really interesting learning about how Days For Girls provide for women across the world Carys
We visited North Ealing Primary school to hear children read It was great fun and the children were very sweet polite and enthusiastic They were interested in their books and seemed to enjoy the reading The time went too quickly and unfortunately we did not manage to hear everyone read We would love to visit again
We had lots of fun helping the local Ealing community by litter picking There was lots of rubbish around the park and flats, so we were constantly busy It was enjoyable to see an immediate difference in the hygiene and care of the area, and a few people who lived there were very appreciative, and thanked us Overall, it was a different, but fun activity and it felt good to see the effect we had on the environment Raneem
Amnesty International members along with other year group supporters walked just over 9 miles from school to Richmond Station Prior to the walk, Amnesty members gave a workshop to the other students joining the walk This involved teaching people about the refugees, and making posters to take on the walk With the generous support of family and friends, we were able to raise £506 for children's rights. Throughout the walk everyone held posters and advocated for children’s rights, which often ignited conversation with passersby to promote the cause. Overall, everyone had a very positive impact supporting Amnesty and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Milla
The Year 10's biggest event of Volunteering Day was when we invited children from the Log Cabin for an afterschool party From 4 to 5pm, 22 children from the Log Cabin and their staff came to our school to join us in the main hall for the party we had set up for them The Log Cabin is a charity which specialises in after school and holiday clubs for children with disabilities and it was so great to see them having so much fun at our stalls We had organised an array of indoor and outdoor games, from activities like craft making to a mini egg and spoon race We also had a group of people designated to making a range of bakes and treats for the children, and I could tell they all enjoyed the delicious cupcakes and cookies! To end off the eventful afternoon, the drama group put on a hilarious pantomime on the story of Tangled, where everyone joined along in the singalongs! Overall, it was such a fun experience and I'm so grateful that we were given the opportunity to brighten up the children's days. Esha
YEAR 12
Year 12 got involved with teaching Science, Swimming, Dance and Cricket lessons to local primary schools that came into school. A group also got involved with Action Homeless Concern. In the afternoon Year 12 partnered up with their Year 7 little sister for the sponsored walk
On Volunteering Day, four Year 12's aided the PE department in running four cricket sessions for Year 4 pupils at St Gregory's primary school and North Ealing primary school We had a skills station, where pupils helped develop their batting, bowling and fielding abilities and also played a game of diamond cricket The children were really enthusiastic about the sessions and I really enjoyed helping them develop their confidence in their abilities I was really grateful to be able to give back to the wider community and hope that the children enjoyed the session and learnt something from it Lollie
On volunteering day, our Biology department welcomed primary school students in Y4&5 from St Gregorys and North Ealing The students engaged in a Biology practical with onion cells where they were able to see the cells up close under a microscope The students later learned about cells and different organelles inside the onion cell They learned the function of different organelles and had the chance to experience a Biology lesson in high school Maja
North Ealing and St Gregory’s Primary Schools were invited to NHEHS to participate in sport and science lessons One of these sports was swimming, with five Year 12's leading the sessions As a keen swimmer myself, it was very fun to lead our own swimming session for the Year 4 students Throughout the day we had 3 groups, each full of energy and enthusiasm We started each session making sure they understood the core technique for front crawl and backstroke and once they d mastered that, we moved on to some more fun activities These included jumps and dives in the deep end and handstands and forward rolls in the shallow end All of the children were very excited to try some new skills alongside improving their swimming technique and ability It was a great experience that helped build our confidence and it was very rewarding to watch them improve over the short time that we had with them Zoe
At Acton Homeless Concern we spoke to the Manag al face and what demographics they meet on a daily basis He also told us about the health problems that affected them and how they varied between different demographics For example Tuberculosis affected many homeless due to their vulnerability when facing airborne diseases this was particularly prevalent within the Eastern European and African community due to them not having vaccines when they were young
Ian also told us that the main causes of homelessness are mental health conditions such as depression and schizophrenia, and also the impact on mental health of bereavement where the person who died used to take care of everything, and without them, the other person doesn’t know what to do There was also a lot of drug and alcohol abuse, but fortunately, within the charity, there was an Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous group to support their recovery Further services offered by this centre include opportunity for freshly cooked food, ability to pick out clothing and to take a shower We learnt that the Acton Homeless Concern was supported by a variety of charities in the area including Glass Door and The Felix Project which helped them save £20,000 through food donations, reducing their annual costs on food to just £1000 per year We were also told about the Charity’s annual golf tournament which helped raise over £40,000 for the centre Local MP for Ealing, Rupa Huq, helps to spread awareness by volunteering at the Charity helping to serve meals to the homeless
The visit encouraged us to learn more about how to help the homeless and inspired us to talk to our teachers about incorporating volunteering at Acton Homeless Centre in future Enrichment sessions at School Sophie, Catriona, Lauren, Rani, Millie, Aila, Sho, Carys
CARE 4 CALAIS VISIT - FINAL ONE FOR 2023/24
On Monday 1st July a group of eight Year 9,10 & 12 students visited the Care 4 Calais supported hotel in Hayes This was the last visit of the school year and the children enjoyed being involved in summer crafts and colouring Duck, duck, goose went down well, as well as the new cars and train track which many of the younger children played with At the end of the session the children were thrilled to receive a party bag put together by the NHEHS Junior school on Volunteering Day. Each child in Year 2, 3 & 4 had made a little bag for a child living in the Staycity hotel They had made a little card, a chatterbox and put in some stationary The group are looking forward to visiting again in September
Thank you also to everyone who generously bought ice lollies on sports day. All money is going to C4C who support the children in Staycity, Hayes as well as other local hotels C4C have already booked two magician trips for the children in two of the hotels More information will follow next term once we hear where the rest of use
ZANZIBAR COLLECTION
A huge thank you to all students who donated items for the upcoming volunteer trip to Zanzibar - we received a lot of donations that will be so very appreciated at the Kijito Upele School
The Year 11 & 12's that are going on the trip spent Friday afternoon sorting out the various donations and making hampers for students and class teachers
Please follow along on the NHEHS instagram and twitter pages to see how the trip goes, along with seeing where your donations went
WAYS TO HELP
EALING FOOD BANK
EALING HALF MARATHON COMING UP!
We would like to encourage all NHEHS students and staff to donate towards this good cause, by looking below at the July shopping list.
The Ealing Half Marathon is almost upon us (September) and we are calling all students, staff and parents who would like to be part of the NHEHS team to put themselves forward!
You need to be 16 to enter, however we also have a wonderful support station outside the school on the day, where students and staff can cheer everyone on
Please send an email to Mrs Bennett (s bennett@nhehs gdst net) if you are interested
INFORMATION ON CHARITIES & VOLUNTEERING
If you are looking for volunteer opportunities or information about charity events, please look on the Student Noticeboard
Do you have any stories of charity work you have done recently? Do you have ideas of what you would like us to do as a school? If so please let your charity reps know: Maja, Catrin, Estella, Ishikaa, Lollie, Maia & Uma, or Mrs Johnson, Miss Newman and Ms Tavakoly
We’d love to share your stories and help you with your ideas! Thank you for your continued support in all of our charity endeavours!