STUDENTS and staff at a community college have put their best foot forward to raise funds for an autism campaign supporting people throughout the UK.
Sedgefield Community College (SCC), which is part of the Laidlaw Schools Trust, will walk 10,000 steps a day for eight days in support of Walk for Autism, which runs from March 26 to April 2.
Those taking part got together on Friday wearing their fundraising t-shirts to mark the beginning of the campaign.
The donations already pledged by those taking part at SCC are now over £6,000, with an additional £965 or more expected from Gift Aid.
The amount pledged has earned Sedgefield students and teachers the privilege of occupying pole position on the national leader board as the team with the largest amount of donations pledged.
The achievement has delighted Amy McGowan, Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) and designated teacher at the school, as she explains: “It has been a very challenging year for us all, but particularly for families who are caring for those with a disability such as autism.
“I hold assemblies each year to talk about the importance of supporting others, especially those that may have difficulties such as autism.
"These assemblies allow me to spread greater awareness throughout the school about how to help and support people who have this diagnosis.
"This year I decided to introduce the charity appeal ‘Walk for Autism’ in conjunction with the assemblies.
"After sharing vital information and ways we can support, pupils have now taken an active interest in helping to spread awareness alongside staff.
“At first, I set the goal at £100 because I was unsure about the level of support I would get, but it has just completely snowballed, and I cannot thank everyone enough for getting involved.”
Several students at SCC suffer with autism and benefit from the supportive and caring environment offered by the school.
Geoff Robinson, headteacher, said: “Sedgefield Community College believes that all pupils are entitled to a quality of provision that will enable them to achieve their potential.
“The support shown to Amy and the Walk for Autism is a wonderful demonstration of the commitment we make to all our pupils and students in the pursuit of providing a fulfilling education for all.
"Amy has done a fantastic job getting this organised and I am thrilled to hear about the amount of money we will raise on behalf of the charity. Congratulations to everyone taking part.”
Year 7 pupil, Jack Darby, who has a diagnosis of autism, said: “I am doing the walk to inspire those in the community to join in and share understanding. This is a huge step for autism and makes people, like me, feel heard and understood.”
Year 9 pupil, Tamsin Stoker, has a younger brother with autism. She added: “I am doing the walk to raise general awareness of autism and especially for my younger brother who has autism. It would be so much better if people understood."
"My brother finds places like shops difficult to manage and if there was more awareness there would be no judgement of his difficulties when he is finding it hard to manage these situations.”
Laidlaw Schools Trust is a growing multi-academy trust in the North-East of England, founded to transform lives through inspirational education.
LST works in partnership with children, their families and the wider community to provide a safe and nurturing environment for each child, irrespective of ability or background, and empowers them to believe in themselves and embrace the future as active, successful, and responsible citizens.
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