On its annual Make a Difference Day, Downe House students went out into the local community to support initiatives across the area, while over 300 children from local primary schools enjoyed a day of student-led activities on the school's campus.
Downe House recently held its third annual 'Make A Difference (MAD) Day' of community-based volunteering. The day provided over 500 students with an opportunity to have a positive impact on others, with some going out into the local community to help residents, visit care homes, and undertake work with clubs and charities, while others ran educational activities for 300 children from local primary schools who visited the School's campus in Cold Ash.
Organised by Matthew Godfrey, Deputy Head of Downe House, MAD Day is designed to:
allow every girl at the school the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution which benefits the local community and is a wonderful chance to learn so much about themselves at the same time.
Volunteering in the Community
The School's community outreach programme has enabled Downe House to develop close links to many local schools, charities, and organisations as well as with residents living near to the school. On MAD Day, groups of students spent the day volunteering with 35 local organisations. These included litter-picking at the Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham, gardening and maintenance at the Newbury Canoe Club, and making sandwiches and cakes for visitors to the Marcham Centre, near Abingdon. Students also visited several care homes, where they enjoyed chatting to residents and providing musical entertainment. At Broadmead Rest Home, the girls also helped paint benches and make cards. A member of staff commented that residents:
loved the engagement with the younger generation
and were left:
talking about them all evening
Primary Pupils on Campus
MAD Day activities also took place on the School's campus, with over 300 pupils from eight local primary schools visiting for a day of educational activities led by the students and staff. On the sports fields, Downe House lacrosse players led a skills session, which served as an exciting introduction to the sport for many of the young visitors. In Business Studies, the children were tasked with designing an app, while the Modern Foreign Languages and Drama Departments combined to help the children put on mini-plays telling the story of the Three Little Pigs, with each group performing in a different European language. The visiting children also made the most of the music, art and science facilities, and pizza-making in the cookery room proved a clear favourite. A member of staff from Buckleberry School commented:
the children absolutely loved the day; they were on task, engaged and ready to listen. It was great for them to come and do all these activities that they wouldn't usually get to try.
Supporting Charities
On campus Downe House students also supported a range of charitable initiatives. They filled period boxes with sanitary products for 'All Yours', a charity which aims to tackle period poverty, and packed over 2,000 toiletry bags which are now being distributed to Reading-based homeless charity 'New Beginnings' and the Berkshire Women's Institute.
MAD Day was a beneficial and successful event for all involved. Downe House students valued the opportunity to carry out work which brought positive change to individuals and groups within the local community. The day also allowed young people from both Downe House and local schools to work together, developing new skills and bonding over new experiences.
Student and Staff Reaction
Pippa Drysdale, a Sixth Form student with responsibility for Community Volunteering, said:
MAD Day is something we greatly look forward to every year. I was really excited that this year's MAD Day was even bigger than before, so we were able to make even more of an impact. It is really important to give back to others, but the day also allows us to grow as leaders and demonstrate and strengthen many of our school values, such as compassion and collaboration.
Matthew Godfrey, Deputy Head and organiser of MAD Day, said:
M.A.D. Day was a wonderful opportunity for our pupils to interact with many local children and residents. As always, it has been one of my favourite days of the year; our pupils loved getting involved and taking responsibility for such a wide range of events. It was clear that our visiting primary school pupils and other members of our local community appreciated the opportunity to get to know our students and benefit from their help, and I could not be prouder of them.
