Rebecca Clarke said:
“At Acle St Edmund Church of England Primary School our school vision is underpinned by the phrase ‘from a tiny seed…. all things are possible’ which is complemented by our whole school values: Trust, Compassion, Respect and Hope. Through our curriculum, we instil these lifelong Christian values in our school community.
“We have been delighted to hear that one of our Year 3 pupils has won a prestigious award from Norfolk & Norwich Hospitals Charity in its fifth Charity Champion Awards. Ethan Chapman, showed compassion and hope when he set about the task of raising money for the NHS. During the first Lockdown, Ethan was inspired by 100-year-old Sir Tom Moore, who was raising money by walking laps of his garden. He saw what a good example Sir Tom had set. Ethan felt compelled that he also needed to do more for the NHS and for people who were poorly from COVID-19. He decided, through his own initiative, compassion and with hope in his heart to set himself the challenge of walking 2.6 miles, cycling 2.6 miles and skipping for 26 minutes to raise money. He persevered throughout this challenge and completed it with the support of his family. Ethan initially set out to raise a modest target but went on to raise far more than he ever expected, totalling £510 for the NHS. During all of this, he never expected to win an award but was amazed when he did!
“Ethan excitedly brought his award into school and shared his celebration with the whole school during a Zoom Assembly! The other children at the school have been inspired by Ethan and his actions to engage in social action for the local and national community. They are now considering ways they can raise money for charities which are important to them.”
The new Headteacher at St Edmund Primary School, who joined the school in September 2020, has been amazed by the children. Since joining, she has been overwhelmed with how the children at the school clearly demonstrate compassion and respect for the community and the staff and children in the school. The children are currently donating gift filled shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan’s Purse and will be wearing Christmas jumpers on Friday 11 December to raise money for Save the Children. Rebecca is looking forward to seeing what new challenges the children will set themselves in the future to help raise money for initiatives that are important to the children.
“As a Church of England school we are always looking at ways to show compassion but Ethan clearly demonstrated that those strong values are being applied by the children all by themselves. We couldn’t be prouder of Ethan and the charitable work he has completed.”
