GEORGINA BROWN, TEACHER OF MATHEMATICS
AND YEAR 12 STUDENTS

On Friday 6 December all members of Year 12 came off timetable to take part in our annual Community Action Day.

Two thirds of the year group went out of Queenswood and visited primary schools, care homes, Hatfield library and the Jedidiah Food Pantry in Hertford.

The remaining students were kept very busy in school helping in departments, working in the classroom with younger students and fundraising for Crisis at Christmas by running a sweet sale and making Christmas cards.

Here are some comments by the students about their experiences.

Jedidiah Food Pantry

Jedidiah Fresh Food Pantry aims to help people struggling to make ends meet access healthy food, reduce isolation and to ensure no good food goes to waste. During our visit we were able to help by checking food that had been collected the night before and then organising the current stock to be on display for anyone who needed it that day. Once the pantry was open we were able to help give the food out to those who needed it and it was a very rewarding experience.

Oak View Primary School

We helped pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5. I was with a Year 4 class for the entire day and really enjoyed the time I spent with the students. They were lively and energetic and the day allowed me the opportunity to impact their lives for the better.

During break and lunch we played playground games like Duck Duck Goose, Tag and Stuck in the Mud. It was wonderful to see all the children getting involved and they really welcomed each and everyone of us into their school. It was tough to say goodbye to a lovely group of kids at the end of the day and I would happily go back again!

Greenacres Care Home

We got to the care home and started off meeting the staff then waited in the day room as they brought the residents in and we all introduced ourselves. After this we split into two groups where one group made flower assortments with a couple of the residents and the other half stayed on the armchairs and did a Christmas song emoji quiz and had a chat with the residents.

After about half an hour a lady from Saracens came and we did a ‘get active’ activity where a few people stood and danced whilst most of them stayed in their chairs but still danced there to stretch and move their bodies. We used props like bells and silk scarves along with the music to make it more fun, and the residents told me they really enjoy it and look forward to doing it each week. We had a small break with drinks and a natter then started kicking a large inflatable ball around. Everyone had a go kicking the ball to one another. Once the lady from Saracens left we finished by having a chat for twenty minutes then left at about 12:30.

Hatfield Nursing Home

We went to Hatfield care home and started off by going around the rooms and chatting to the residents about their old jobs and lives which was very interesting to hear about, especially Andy who used to be a lawyer working at Luton courthouse. Then we did some painting while Christina played the piano. We then sang Careless Whisper and Last Christmas with Phillis because earlier she had told us how much she loves singing.

Hatfield Library

After finding out about the complex logistics of ensuring all books were returned to the correct library in Hertfordshire and ready to be collected, if they had been reserved, or sent away if needed for stock rotation, it was our turn to start scanning in the returned book and get them ready to go back on the shelf. We really enjoyed using the scanner and it turned into a bit of a race. We then joined Baby Rhyme Time and loved watching all the children enjoying the nursery rhymes and playing with the musical instruments. Finally we learned about strict shelf ordering and we were set the task of putting a shelf of books in the correct order according to the Dewey decimal system. It took us about half an hour to do one shelf and there were still hundreds of shelves left to sort. It was an eye-opening morning and we loved looking at all the books.

Hatfield Community Free School

At Hatfield Community Free School we spent most of the day helping prepare for the upcoming Christmas Fayre and Christmas productions. Part of this involved making lots of paper parsnips and potatoes! We were able to get into the classroom right at the end of the day and enjoyed reading and playing with the children but sadly it was very soon time to head back to school.

At Queenswood

We had the mammoth task of packing pick-and-mix sweet bags and then selling them to the rest of the school during break and lunch. Students were asked to buy a packet for a friend, rather than for themselves, and the messages of thanks and joy that we saw being passed between friends and to staff were lovely. In the end we sold over 180 bags of sweets!

We also made some Christmas cards which we are in the process of selling and we hope that in the end we will have raised about £280 for Crisis at Christmas.