South Shields school collects 'ridiculous amount' of food to help others and spread Christmas cheer

Christmas cheer was added to the curriculum at Mortimer Community College this year, where pupils have spent December showing their support for the Key 2 Life food bank.

And youngsters have also been finding other ways of sharing the festive feeling, including a recorded carol concert for the town’s care homes.

“For Christmas this year we did a reverse advent calendar where we encouraged the students to bring something in for the food bank every day,” said Joanne Thornton, the school’s deputy headteacher.

“Things have had to change slightly this year, to make sure everything was Covid compliant.

“As a school we really like to connect with the community and feel like we’re a part of it.

“This year more than ever it was important to send that message out, that we’re here for our community and for our families.

“It’s been a hard year for everyone and we have to work together.

“From a teaching point of view it’s been hard, but everyone has had the same going on, everyone has pulled together to make it work.”

According to Thornton, more than 30 boxes of donations were ready to be handed over to the food bank by the end of term.

As well as a ‘ridiculous amount of tins’ and ‘boxes and boxes of cereal’ were also toys and toiletries, which bosses at Key 2 Life say they also regularly need to supply to struggling families on top of edibles.

At least 200 pupils in Year 7 and 8 also recorded performances performing carols and other singalongs, as well as festive readings, to be sent to care homes around South Shields.

Jo Benham Brown, business and communities manager at Key 2 Life, said the school’s support meant a lot to her organisation and those it helped.

“We’re highly grateful to Mortimer College, which has supported us right through the pandemic and through previous years.

“They’re a great community partner for us and very thoughtful about how they can support us and also get young people involved.”

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