Howell's School first to Pay for a Day at Cardiff Hospice

Pupils at Howell’s School Llandaff (GDST) are the first contributors in Wales to raise £6,660 to pay for a day’s care at the Marie Curie Cardiff and the Vale Hospice.

Donning outfits in traditional yellow and blue to celebrate the school’s Founders’ Day ceremony – which coincidentally matched the colours of their charity of the year, Marie Curie – pupils and staff were delighted to hear that they had raised the funds as part of the charity’s Pay for a Day campaign.

Marie Curie provides round-the-clock expert care and support for people living with a terminal illness, and their families, at its hospice in Penarth. 

At the school’s ‘Founders’ Day’ ceremony, Deputy Principal Natalie Chyba, announced that a wide range of activities involving pupils as young as three years old right up to sixth formers had given everyone the chance to get involved with fundraising for this worthwhile campaign, which had clearly touched the hearts of both students and staff.    

“It is over a year since the Marie Curie Development Board invited representatives from HSL to attend the launch of Marie Curie’s ‘Pay for a Day’ fundraising campaign at the Penarth hospice,” said Mrs Chyba.

“During that launch, our students and staff were given a tour of the fantastic facilities at the hospice, and they learned about the outstanding work provided by the doctors, nurses and support staff who provide care for people living with a terminal illness and their families. 

 “We took along representatives of the school’s Rotary Interact group who needed no convincing that they should take up the challenge of raising sufficient money to pay for 24 hours of care at the hospice.

 

College students Catrin Beynon and Eleanor Flood-Page are current joint presidents of the school’s Rotary Interact group. Both agreed that although hard work, it had also been great fun thinking up appealing fund-raising ideas in order to reach their financial target before the end of this term. 

“The whole school has been enormously focused and energetic,” they said.

“From bake-off competitions and big breakfasts to leg waxes and quizzes, and from doughnut days to denim days, there really was something that appealed to us all.”

Congratulating the school on their achievement, which she said was testament to their hard work and determination, hospice manager Paula Elson said that HSL was the first contributor in Wales to reach the £6,660 target which would pay for a day’s care at the hospice, to coincide with the school’s annual ‘Founders’ Day’.

Pay for a Day Ambassador, actor Mark Lewis Jones, sent a video message of congratulations to pupils at the school.

Mark previously visited the school to talk about the charity’s work, along with supporter Luke Waddon, whose father was cared for at the hospice.  Luke now shares his story of the support he received from bereavement counselling following his dad’s death.

The school is now keen to help others across the area, by mentoring them if they chose to take up the Pay for a Day challenge.

If you would like to find out how to sign up to Pay for a Day, contact community fundraiser Hannah Leckie on 029 2042 6068.