PRIMARY school leavers in Austwick used the money they had raised for a celebratory trip to the capital to help coronavirus hit communities in Uganda.

The year six children at Austwick Primary School had worked hard to raise money for their much anticipated, post Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) excursion to London.

But, when the trip had to be cancelled because of the coronavirus lockdown, the children had to decide what to do with the money. They chose to help the Jinja Educational Trust, a charity that focuses on improving education and supporting orphanages in Jinja, Uganda, and which the school has strong links with.

Many in Uganda have lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and recent floods and swarms of locusts have also destroyed crop, many are now without food.

When the year six children learned of this, they decided to donate their funds to help and challenged the wider Austwick community to match the amount that they had raised.

The village shop took donations from many people and, as a result, £721 was raised.

This amount will be matched by Virgin Money so a total of £1,442 will be donated to help those in need.

Given that it costs £4 to provide an individual with sufficient food for a week, this means that the children have been the driving force in providing food and seeds, to plant for new crops to many families.

Headteacher, Jo Brookes said: “Whilst the lockdown has been difficult for many children and especially our Year 6s who have missed out on so many of the traditions and fun activities that normally take place after SATs, these children have achieved something amazing. We are so proud of them. I am also immensely grateful to the local community who supported us.”

Lorna Matewere, who works for the charity in Uganda, is ensuring that the money is used to provide much needed food and seeds to families as soon as possible.

She said, “What is hard to get across is the hope this action creates in people. I know first-hand how much it means to people that someone out there is thinking about them and doing something for them. It really makes the difference between giving up and going on.”