Richmount Primary School pupils raise almost £1,600 for Northern Ireland Children's Hospice

Pupils at Richmount Primary School, Portadown, have raised almost £1,600 for Northern Ireland Children's Hospice through their annual charity coffee morning.

The event, a long-standing tradition at the school, forms part of the P6 and P7 MoneyWise programme and sees pupils take responsibility for planning and delivering a major fundraising initiative.

Principal Mr Neil D Johnston said the charity was chosen this year after the school community learned about the support Northern Ireland Children's Hospice had provided to the child of a close friend of a staff member.

"Our annual charity coffee morning is a long-established tradition at Richmount Primary School and forms an important part of the P6/P7 MoneyWise topic," he said.

"Each year, pupils take responsibility for planning, budgeting, researching, seeking sponsorship, organising and delivering the event.

"The charity chosen changes annually and is selected for a meaningful reason. This year, the school community decided to support Northern Ireland Children's Hospice after learning about the valuable support it had provided to the child of a close friend of one of our staff members.

"Hearing about the difference the hospice had made to a local family gave the project a real sense of purpose and inspired our pupils to work even harder to support such an important cause."

The response from parents, pupils, staff and the wider community was overwhelmingly positive, helping the fundraiser exceed expectations.

Mr Johnston said: "Parents, staff, families and members of the wider community recognised the importance of the work carried out by Northern Ireland Children's Hospice and were very keen to support the event.

"Many commented on how worthwhile the chosen charity was and were delighted to see pupils taking such an active role in fundraising.

"Staff were incredibly proud of the enthusiasm shown by the children, while pupils felt a genuine sense of achievement knowing that their efforts would help children and families facing extremely difficult circumstances.

"The final total far exceeded our expectations and reflected the generosity of our entire community, some last-minute donations helped raise our total to almost £1,600."

The coffee morning was organised and run largely by pupils, giving them practical experience in a range of skills.

"The coffee morning is very much a pupil-led initiative," Mr Johnston explained.

"As part of their MoneyWise learning, pupils researched charities, considered how funds could be raised, managed budgets, contacted potential sponsors and helped promote the event.

"On the day itself, they welcomed guests, served refreshments, took orders, delivered food and drinks, managed donations and helped ensure everything ran smoothly.

"This hands-on experience gave them valuable opportunities to develop communication, teamwork, leadership and organisational skills while making a meaningful contribution to their community."

He added that pupils were involved from the earliest stages of planning.

"The pupils were involved from the very beginning. They helped research the chosen charity, discussed fundraising ideas, considered costs and budgeting, and supported preparations in the lead-up to the event.

"On the day, they took responsibility for greeting visitors, serving refreshments, delivering orders, interacting with members of the community and helping to keep the event running efficiently.

"The pride they showed in representing their school and supporting the chosen charity was evident throughout the morning."

Following the successful fundraiser, surplus food from the event was donated to Rosemount Care Home in Armagh.

Mr Johnston said: "Following such a successful morning, we found ourselves with a quantity of surplus food. A member of staff suggested donating the remaining items to Rosemount Care Home so that nothing would go to waste.

"We felt this was a wonderful opportunity to extend the impact of the event and ensure that others within our local community could also benefit.

"It aligned perfectly with our school values and our vision of placing the school at the heart of the community.

"We were delighted that the staff and residents at Rosemount warmly welcomed the idea and shared in the success of the day."

The principal said one of the most rewarding aspects of the event for pupils was seeing the level of community support.

"For many pupils, the most rewarding part was seeing so many members of their families and also people from the local community come through the doors to support the event," he said.

"There was a real sense of excitement as the hall filled with visitors and donations continued to grow throughout the morning.

"The pupils took great pride in knowing that the success of the event was largely down to their hard work and planning.

"Learning that they had raised almost £1,600 for Northern Ireland Children's Hospice gave them a huge sense of achievement and reinforced the difference young people can make when they work together for a good cause."

Reflecting on the lasting impact of the project, Mr Johnston said he hoped pupils would take away important lessons about community and compassion.

"We hope pupils leave the experience with a deeper understanding of compassion, generosity and community responsibility.

"The project demonstrated that even small actions can have a significant impact when people work together towards a common goal.

"Alongside developing practical skills such as teamwork, communication, leadership and financial awareness, the children also experienced the importance of kindness and service to others.

"Most importantly, we hope they recognise that they can play an active role in supporting their community and making a positive difference in the lives of others.

"The project captured many of our core values of kindness, community, respect and growth and showed what can be achieved when those values are put into action."