A Calne School has had to adapt its usual traditional Harvest Festival chapel celebration to take into account coronavirus restrictions but that has not stopped it helping the town’s food bank.
St Margaret’s Prep School is making much needed donations of both food and cash to Calne food bank which is particularly in need of supplies because of the virus.
The school’s head of performing arts Hilary Gibbin worked with pupils from Year 3 to Year 6 to record poems, percussion and songs. The performances were then edited and put together to form a Harvest Festival video which their parents could watch on the parent portal via the school’s website.
Children also had the chance to go to school in their clothes of choice when a mufti day was held last Tuesday and raised over £150 for the food bank. Girls from sister school St Mary’s, which shares the same campus, joined in the mufti day to swell the amount of cash raised.
St Margaret’s headteacher Luke Bromwich said: “St Margaret’s has traditionally supported local food banks at harvest time but this year we have had to be a bit creative to allow our parents to share the celebration and help the charity.”
A spokesman for Calne Food Bank said: “We don't think anyone in our community should have to face going hungry.
“That's why we provide family bags or bags for individuals of nutritionally balanced emergency food and provide support to local people who are in crisis.”
The demand for help from food banks has risen dramatically across Wiltshire since lockdown in March and donations are always welcome.
Donations of non-perishable food can be left at Church House, Calne on Tuesdays and Fridays from noon to 4pm and on Wednesdays from 10am to 1pm.
Tinned meat, fish and fruit is in big demand along with breakfast cereals, UHT milk, cartons of juice, rice and jars of sauce.