Education Trust’s Pupils Turn Charity Champions

Hundreds of students across the Trust’s eight schools took part in a fundraiser to raise money for suicide prevention charity, Kelly’s Heroes.

A special event was recently co-ordinated at Manor School where pupils presented the £2,120.27 total raised to Sherry Adams, CEO of Kelly’s Heroes. The fundraiser was held in memory of student Callum Woodcroft, whose death by suicide in 2022 led to the introduction of specialist suicide training across all schools in the Trust.

Trust Deputy Chief Executive and Callum’s former Head Teacher, Matt Coleman, has been spearheading the campaign for specialist suicide awareness training to be instigated in schools across the county and nationwide.

The ground-breaking approach adopted by the Trust, which has seen more than 400 teachers and Trust staff undergo specialist suicide awareness training, was implemented in collaboration with Kelly’s Heroes, which helped introduce the pioneering programme focused on raising awareness to help save lives, protect pupils and staff.

In a bid to help raise vital funds for Kelly’s Heroes, schools within the Trust collectively staged a Mufti Day where children wore pink (or red), in a nod to the colour featured in the charity’s logo and branding. Participating pupils pledged donations in aid of the charity, which helped to raise thousands of pounds.

Matt Coleman said: “We were delighted as a family of schools to raise funds for Kelly’s Heroes, a charity that is so worthwhile and adds such huge value. The generosity of our school community was very much appreciated, and we thank everyone who supported the fundraising event.”

Sherry Adams, CEO of Kelly’s Heroes said: "I am so pleased that Nene Education Trust and Kelly’s Heroes have been able to unite in a memorial fundraiser, turning the pain of loss into a powerful force for change, raising awareness and support to combat the silent battle of suicide. The money raised will help the charity to continue helping those who have been bereaved by suicide and we look forward to collaborating on more projects throughout 2024.”