Newhouse Academy staff raise over £1,000 for Heywood Foodbank

Staff came together as a group to see if they could reach 1,000 miles in October, and raise vital funds on the way for the foodbank

Staff members from Newhouse Academy in Heywood have raised over £1,000 for the Heywood Foodbank after running 1,000 miles throughout October.

Whilst the school does a lot for the foodbank throughout the year, the staff members knew that the foodbank had been suffering with empty shelves recently. With winter fast approaching, they decided to come together collectively as a group of 22 to see if they could reach 1,000 miles in October, and raise vital funds on the way for the foodbank.

In total, the group raised an impressive £1,196.

Mrs Gregory-Harris, Deputy Headteacher, said: “We know that a lot of families are suffering hardship at the moment with unemployment, austerity, Covid-19, the lockdown and all of the worries that that is bringing. We felt that really, the last thing we want our families to be worried about is putting food on the table, not just for our students but for their parents as well and the community around them.

“I’m really proud of all of the staff here because the weather in October was pretty rubbish. Despite the wind and the rain, they put their leggings on, got their jogging bottoms on, got out there even though it meant often going out on their own, on the weekend as the nights got darker and smashed their targets.” 

The team actually went over 1,000 miles raising money for the foodbank and raising awareness amongst their own families, friends and communities who gave their donations freely to support a cause that means so much to the Newhouse team.

Newhouse Academy will continue to support the foodbank throughout the rest of this academic year and moving forwards.

As to the next challenge, Mrs Gregory-Harris said: “We are up for opportunities, so if anybody has a good fund raising idea, let us know and we will try our very best to meet it.”