Supporting citizenship at Lea Primary and improving the local environment

Harpenden Lions have been delighted to match the fund-raising efforts of Year 5 at the Lea Primary School – as well as helping to fund the local environment at the school.

As part of their citizenship project, the year 5 group have been fundraising for toilet twinning! This initiative, run by Tearfund, a UK-based charity, was established in 2010 in response to the global sanitation crisis.  The scheme twins funding global WASH projects (water, sanitation and hygiene) and works with teams to transform lives in the developing World through sustainable access to private toilets, safe drinking water and healthy hygiene.  It twins toilets in the UK with those in countries where there is no access to clean and hygienic sanitation.

In June the year group raised money from running stalls at a mini-fair after school - which included a tombola and lucky dip, teddy guess-the-name, toy stall, puppet show, archery and a knock-the can game. A group of five children also sold home-made lemonade, cakes and donuts. Both events were hugely popular and altogether £240 was raised!  This funding was matched by the Lions so that a total of £480 was donated to twin with 8 toilets in counties such as Nigeria, Uganda, Nepal, Malawi, South Sudan and Bangladesh. 

The picture shows Tracey Berry, Headteacher, Dave Price from Harpenden Lions and Kate Davenport, Year 5 teacher together with children displaying their toilet twin. Further details of the scheme can be found at http://toilet twinning. org

In addition, the Lions have contributed, with others, to funding an all-weather surface to refurbish the playground at the school, the surface of which had deteriorated badly. The playground was opened on 11^th July by Steve Pryor of Harpenden Trust and the picture shows children and staff after the launch with Steve Prior and Dave Price from Harpenden Lions. Further details can be found on the school’s website at https://www.lea-pri.herts.sch.uk