Students from Whitburn Church of England Academy have been spreading Christmas joy through a chaplaincy-led campaign to support disadvantaged teenagers in South Tyneside.
The school’s student Chaplaincy Team, made up of more than 50 pupils and led by School Chaplain Nicola Rogers, launched the initiative after a visit to the Key to Life Foodbank in South Shields. Principal John Crowe accompanied older chaplaincy members to help sort donations, where they learned from Marie, who leads the foodbank’s poverty prevention team, that there is often a shortage of Christmas gifts suitable for teenagers.
Marie explained that while donations for younger children are usually plentiful, teenagers are frequently overlooked. Last Christmas, the foodbank had so few appropriate items that one teenage boy received a bottle of tomato ketchup as his Christmas present. Determined to ensure this did not happen again, Whitburn’s chaplaincy students took action.
During Advent, they led a whole-school campaign to raise awareness and collect gifts, cleverly titled “57 Reasons for Change”, inspired by the ketchup slogan ’57 Varieties’. The response from the school community was overwhelming, with donations including Bluetooth speakers, gadgets, footballs, winter clothing, toiletries, board games, Lego and gift cards—so many that storage space quickly became an issue.
When Marie and the foodbank team arrived with their van to collect the gifts, they were overjoyed by the generosity on display. The campaign has been praised as a powerful example of young people making a positive difference in their local community.
The chaplaincy work at Whitburn Academy is supported by the Diocese of Durham and provides students with opportunities to develop leadership skills, including volunteering in Prayer Space activities. Alongside Nicola Rogers, the student Chaplaincy Team, drawn from all year groups, helps to lead whole-school worship assemblies and regularly supports local community projects.
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With thanks to the Shields Gazette and Sunderland Echo for the photographs.