LJS Weekly

House Charities

We often talk about being a part of the LJS family – it’s a big one but within the big family, there are smaller and different types of family. There are year group families, form families and also House families. Every child is a proud member of one of the four LJS Houses, with siblings being in the same House to avoid difficult situations for families at competitive events. Each year, under the guidance of their House Captains and House staff, the Houses nominate charities that they will support during the course of the academic year. This has been traditionally in the form of cake stalls and these events are always keenly anticipated and result in large tables full of delicious looking treats that have been provided by the children of the House in question and sold to all members of the LJS community. Covid has meant, as with so many aspects of life, a rethink for this academic year and each House has come up with a different way to support their chosen charity.

Burghley (blue)

Burghley decided to raise money for Oundle Mencap Holidays, a charity that happens right on our doorstep. For over 35 years, Oundle School Community Action pupils and staff work together to offer a week-long residential summer holiday for children and young people (aged between 8 and 18) with learning disabilities. They provide a wide range of activities, including arts and crafts, days out and team games and it really is the most incredible experience for holiday makers and volunteers alike. Burghley’s fundraising has taken the form of ‘bob-a-jobbing’ and children across the seven year groups have been busy collecting money in return for all sorts of jobs for family, friends and neighbours, from cutting lawns to collecting shopping, no task has been too big or too small. House Captains Cressie and Harry are incredibly proud of the efforts of the Burghley Bulldogs!

Gloucester (yellow)

The Gloucester house charity is also a local one, the Stamford and Oundle Food Bank. House Captains Freddie and Bea have been busy encouraging their Gloucester Gorillas to bring in donations for the food bank that will be taken to Stamford on Monday by James ready for distribution to those who are in need of support. Food banks have been subject to unprecedented demand since the beginning of the pandemic and Gloucester have been delighted to do their bit to help.

Lilford (green)

Lilford Leopards made the decision to raise money for SERV OBN Blood Bikes, a charity that serves Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Northamptonshire. They run a fleet of 16 motorbikes and 3 4×4 vehicles to offer a free out of hours transport service to deliver emergency blood, plasma, and tissue samples in the NHS. Another service provided by the charity is breast milk collection where volunteers collect excess breast milk from mothers and deliver it to the Newborn Care Unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Their work can literally be the difference between life and death and Lilford House Captains Skye and Toby have been encouraging their House members to collect pints of pennies to raise money. Homes across Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Rutland and Cambridgeshire have been raided for pennies, although quite a number of tuppence, five and ten pence pieces have found their way into the various pint collection pots, from pint glasses to milk bottles. We can’t wait to see how much money they have raised but we’re not sure who is going to do all that counting!

Whitmore (red)

Whitmore’s House charity is another related to the emergency services, the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Whitmore House Captains Maria and Will asked the Whitmore Wasps to bring in home-made paper aeroplanes for break-time flying competitions, wear red socks and bring in donations for the charity. They had a fabulous time pitting their paper creations against each other in a healthy contest! Their red socks brightened up their classrooms and they know that the money they raised will go towards operating their two H145 helicopters and two rapid response vehicles. The charity also runs first aid and defibrillator courses in workplaces and communities. On average, they complete 8 tasks per dayo far in 2021, they have looked after 675 patients and completed a staggering 577 helicopter missions covering 38,868 miles, as well 451 RRV missions and looking after 161 aftercare patients. They need to raise £15 million pounds per year to run the service and Whitmore are pleased to be helping.

As you can see, we believe that helping others is an essential life skill and we are incredibly proud of the way our children respond to these events. We can’t wait to see the final fundraising totals!