Kenilworth primary school pupils fast to fundraise for food banks

Eight pupils at a primary school in Kenilworth aged five to 11 years old have completed a sponsored fast to raise money for food banks.

Amelia Hunt, Leyton Hunt, Millie Lammas, Annalise Milburn, Samuel Beaman-Henderson, Jasper Nicholls, Seb Darch and Henry Wright, who are all pupils from Crackley Hall School in Kenilworth, set out to raise £100 with their fundraiser and have so far raised just over £2,000.

The idea for the sponsored fast came after the older children had reflected on empathy in RE lessons at school.

Their empathy for local families and children who, through no fault of their own, might face a Christmas without food, led to the idea of a fast to raise funds for the food bank to help families in need have a Christmas dinner this year.

Between them the children decided to fast for a day, and to go without food from 7am to 5pm.

Their fast took place on November 28, and having not eaten since the evening before, in the end the children managed a whole 22 hours without any food.

Amelia’s younger brother Leyton, aged five, joined in the sponsored fast, planning to fast for five hours, but was inspired by his sister and her friends that he went without food for the whole day as well.

Amelia said: “It wasn’t too difficult and we talked to each other during the day and that really helped, but I only realised quite how hungry I was when I finally had something to eat after we finished the fast at the end of the day.”

So far, the fundraising fast has received donations of £1,770.44 and including gift aid the total raised is £2,125.69.

The money is all being donated to The Trussell Trust, who support a network of food banks across the UK.