Lancing Prep Hove has been supporting local young people for years, organising a collection of items to fill Christmas boxes for our Brighton and Hove supported housing residents. Brighton and Hove chaplain Isaac Watson and support worker Joe Tanner were invited to the school’s weekly morning assembly to tell the children about the impact of their generosity at Christmas.
They were invited by Ellie Peters, the parent currently coordinating the initiative, and welcomed by Deputy Head Mr Alun Price, who was delighted to share the school’s 260 students’ excitement about the annual tradition:
“We’ve been doing this for at least seven years and the children really look forward to the collection each year. It’s a really good example of our ‘Community and Care’ school value. We’ve been collecting more boxes every year.”
Other staff , including Head of PSHE Dan Clifton, have been feeding back on the buzz generated by the annual initiative now firmly embedded in the school’s calendar. The Head Boy and Girl of the year take an active role in the delivery of the boxes to the project and take the responsibility very seriously.
Our Chaplain Isaac led the children in a reflection on the meaning of gift-giving at Christmas (‘to make us happy’ one said) and what their annual contributions mean to the young people living at YMCA DownsLink Group supported housing.
Joe, our support worker, read the poem Christmas Giving by Iris W. Bray and showed off his special Bah Humbug socks before asking the children what they would like to see in a Christmas box. He also shared the story of a young resident who was encouraged to open up in a way he couldn’t before – thanks to a game of Uno from his box. Jo also praised the customisation work on the boxes, encouraging the children to add their personal touch: “do be creative with your box! It is always very well received.”
Mr Price concluded by encouraging the children and their families to beat last year’s record of 170 boxes brought in, contributing to the festive atmosphere at the school in the run up to Christmas.
Ellie told us the next day: “Both my kids told me all about it. They love doing the boxes and it’s so important for them to learn about these issues from a young age”.
The boxes will be delivered to our Brighton residents on 10 December, with the assistance of parents and students. Support staff are looking forward to what is always a very joyful day for the team. The residents are also excited about the day and in anticipation of their gifts.
