Alkrington Primary School Community Ambassadors and RotaKids

Community Ambassadors of Alkrington Primary School who were chartered as a RotaKids club by Middleton Rotary Club with Rotarians Jeff Lawton, Keith Trinnaman and Jean Nott

It is now just over 12 months since the Community Ambassadors of Alkrington Primary School were chartered as a RotaKids club by Middleton Rotary Club.

The group that started with eight children representing four year groups, mentored by Rotarians from Middleton Rotary, and also guided by Karen Bracken (the schools business manager), were ‘chartered’ in October of 2012 and immediately got involved in projects that were going to be of benefit to others less fortunate.

Their first task was to get the school more involved with the shoe box appeal that they had been involved in previously but the RotaKids wanted to raise the level input from the school by achieving a larger amount of boxes filled. They did this and filled 200 boxes that were sent off to countries in need in the eastern European zone. This term they are targeting to fill even more boxes.

They also wanted to get involved with schools in another country and are now regularly communicating with Mikoroshoni Primary School in Kenya.

Mikoroshoni PS is a school whereby the poorer children in the area of Mombasa are able not only to receive education, but also be fed, as such they are given a chance in life that they would not otherwise be given.

The school has two Middleton Rotarians as trustees, and  was started by Rotarian John Brooker 17 years ago following a holiday visit when he saw first-hand just how much help could be given to some children in the area by establishing a primary school.

The RotaKids have communicated by letter, have sent and received photos and now have a regular dialogue going with the children and staff at Mikoroshoni. They have also been able to raise funds for Mikoroshoni and are currently selling Christmas puddings with the aim of donating the profit made to the Mikoroshoni charity. 

At the start of the new academic year, and as some children moved on to secondary school, the group was re-invigorated by new members and they now have 10 members all keen to continue the excellent work started.

During the spring term of 2013 the group got involved in the ‘Eradication of Polio’ campaign that Rotary International has been so successful in delivering since it targeted total eradication back in 1985. The RotaKids promoted the campaign in school by planting purple crocii, and selling silk purple crocii via donations. They raised £65 and awareness throughout the school.

In the summer, at the school's summer fair, they raised further funds by selling mystery squares on a grid, with the prize of a giant box of chocolates given to the winner. Through this and further raffles they raised enough to fund an ‘Aquabox’ – a box filled with emergency aid provisions that will provide equipment to help in disaster such as we have just witnessed in the Philippines. The donation of £120 was presented to Middleton Rotary at a recent meeting and has now been forwarded to Aquabox to be sent on to the Philippines.

Rotarian Keith Trinnaman, who helped set the group up along with Rotarian Jean Nott, said: ‘I am so proud of this wonderful group of children, they have really taken on the challenge of what is in the RotaKids pledge.

"Not only are many benefitting from the work that they are fulfilling, but they are also spreading the word of Rotary amongst the school and their families. They have also having fun in progressing the projects that they choose.

"In years to come, of course, we hope for them to be future Rotarians in the mean time Middleton Rotary Club will be assisting them and they will learn many life skills along the way.

"Our thanks also go to Karen Bracken who has provided such enthusiastic support to the children.

"I sincerely hope other schools are able to follow the lead that the Community Ambassadors of Alkrington Primary School have taken by becoming associated with Rotary through the RotaKids scheme."