South Tyrone schools play their part in battle against poverty

IN the run-up to Christmas, colleges in south Tyrone are helping families struggling amid the cost of living crisis, while students are holding events to raise funds for a host of charities.

Over recent weeks South West College have been offering free breakfasts across all its campuses to students.

The new initiative, run entirely by volunteers from the College and food supplied through donations from staff, offers free healthy breakfasts to every student.

Student Breakfast Clubs will run at the South West Colleges Dungannon, Cookstown and Omagh campuses.

Celine McCartan, chief executive at South West College, said, “This is a great initiative and I am very grateful to the College staff who are supporting this. This means students can get a quick breakfast as soon as they get to college which sets them up for the day ahead.

“At South West College, we are committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our students as well as actively addressing inequality. The benefits include alleviating financial anxiety, providing another social outlet and positively impacting our student’s physical and mental well-being and in turn supporting their academic pursuits.”

St Joseph’s College, Coalisland is also carrying on its tradition of helping to alleviate financial strains on families of its students.

Principal Desi McNeill explained that there will be free dinners in the college for the next two weeks.

“There are exams going on and it is important that students feel well nourished,” said Mr McNeill. “We notice a marked improvement in performance when everyone is provided with a meal. We have received generous donations and happily have been able to hold this initiative for a fortnight.

“We also have the Breakfast Club were students can make toast and get drinks in the morning during registration as well as free fruit to the two PE departments which comes from a local contribution and the use of water coolers.”

In an act of altruism, St Joseph’s will hold a Christmas Jumper Day and a Santa Dash around the grounds of the college with donations going to St Vincent De Paul, that helps those in the community struggling to make ends meet, and the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust that does great work helping families of Irish people bring loved ones who have died overseas back to their homeland.

Meanwhile neighbours St Patrick’s College and St Patrick’s Academy in Dungannon also have a number of events planned in the coming weeks.

Tonight (Thursday) St Patrick’s College will hold a massive Christmas Fayre from 6pm to 9pm, with Santa and his elves, a huge raffle and plenty of festive food. Everyone is welcome. Funds will go towards the college as well as Children in Crossfire, a charity which aims to eradicate poverty and help children in war zones access healthcare and education. Last week, its founder Richard Moore, who was blinded by a rubber bullet when he was a child, gave a talk at the college.

St Patrick’s College is continuing to provide after-school meals made by the Home Economic students and also has a Breakfast Club.

Next door St Patrick’s Academy are also organising a Christmas Jumper day with proceeds in aid of Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust. There will be Christmas quizzes to raise funds for St Vincent De Paul and the school choir will sing in care homes in the area.