Cats and dogs raise more than £1,400 for Isabel Hospice and Guide Dogs for the Blind

Prep school pupils at Bishop’s Stortford College have adopted Isabel Hospice as their charity of the year for 2019.

The children organised a Spring Charity Day on Thursday, March 28 to raise money for the hospice and for their outgoing charity, Guide Dogs for the Blind.

In celebration of the two causes, they went to school dressed as dogs or cats, in recognition of Isabel Hospice’s children and teen support (CATS) service.

The pupils also took their entries for a Smarties cake competition which were sold throughout the day. In all, £1,400 was raised for the two organisations.

Representatives of Isabel Hospice – children’s service manager Tracie Slade and Bishop’s Stortford fundraising support group chair Renee Friend – visited the school to tell the children about how their charity supports young people.

Tracie gave a presentation to an assembly of more than 400 pupils aged eight to 13 and told them that the Welwyn-based charity supports children and teenagers one-to-one through its CATS service when a parent or family member is ill. Support continues once they are bereaved.

Both women were presented with craft resources to be used in the hospice groups by the school’s prefects and by Jane Towns, a history and RE teacher who is co-ordinating the charity work.

Renee said: “Since the start of the adoption, the children had already held dressing-up days, cake and doughnut sales, a Lent Smarties challenge, bean bag cinema night, a concert and an auction at the recent Festival of Literature.

“They’ve been wonderful and we’re very grateful for all their support and fundraising efforts.”

Alison Bailey from Guide Dogs for the Blind was presented with a cheque for the last year’s proceeds.

It has been the prep school charity for the last five years and in that time pupils have raised more than £18,400.