Charitable Carrickmore children raise £3,500

A TOTAL of £3,500 raised by a group of charitable children from St Colmcille’s Primary School in Carrickmore has been used by St Vincent de Paul services to support local families in the parish of Termonmaguirc this Christmas.

Over the last six weeks, a group of 32 pupils from the Carrickmore primary school have been embarking on historical walks, unearthing the history of their local land, and, in the process, raising money to support their community.

If that wasn’t enough, the ‘Mini Vinnies’, as they have become known, are also pioneering new ground as the first SVP children’s group here in the North.

Rosaleen Donnelly, vice principal of St Colmcille’s, said, “The project is keeping the history of Carrickmore and Termon alive, while at the same time instilling the children with an instinct to put others before themselves.”

Rosaleen worked in England for many years, where SVP have a robust junior infrastructure. When she returned home she wanted to get children here involved in charity earlier.

“We’ve been running the ‘Mini Vinnies’ for two years,” said Rosaleen.

“This year, when we saw the success of the ‘Termon Camino’ – a series of historical walks for adults in Termonmaguirc – we spied the potential to run a children’s version for the ‘Mini Vinnies’.”

All children from nursery to P7 took part in the ‘Mini Carmen Camino’, with talks led by Cormac McAleer, a member of the local history society, and Gavin McElroy, a history teacher at Dean Maguirc.

“Walks took in local historical points of interest, including the new walkway to Reilig na Mbån (the women’s graveyard),” explained Rosaleen.

“The children gained a greater love and interest in their local area.”

Rosaleen concluded, “The support received by local businesses and families was truly astounding, and the children have seen the difference even the smallest act of kindness can have and how together we can do great things to make the world a better place. Since then, the ‘Mini Vinnies’ have also visited the local afternoon club to deliver gift bags, filled with handmade crafts and goodies.

Despite not being able to spend time with the elderly in the community this Christmas, they’ve managed to share a little festive joy with them.