AN ‘AMAZING young man’ has volunteered his time and raised money for the less fortunate after being moved by the sight of people sleeping rough in Rugby.
After being set a challenge by his teacher, 12-year-old Avon Valley School student Blayne-Roy Bennett has volunteered with, and raised £1,000 for, a local homeless project.
Along with his classmates, Blayne was set the challenge to ‘Change the World’ in a recent personal, social, health and economic (PHSE) lesson.
After seeing homeless people on the streets of Rugby, Blayne spent a Saturday evening volunteering with Help the Homeless Rugby, a town project which offers fresh clothing and food to rough sleepers.
He also decided to raise funds for the project by completing a 5km run at Draycote Water, for which he raised a staggering £722.50.
The figure was rounded up to £1,000 thanks to a donation from Mr Robinson’s Barbershop, which hosts the charity.
Blayne’s mum Kirsty McGee said: “Blayne is an amazing young man with a heart of gold, and he always puts others before himself.
“Both myself and Blayne’s step-dad are just amazed by the donations people have made to sponsor him. He’s already thinking of what he can do next to help others and we are literally bursting with pride.”
Head teacher Alison Davies said: “It is clear that this is a project that Blayne feels passionate about and I believe his efforts will make a real difference to vulnerable people in the town. We are very proud of him and the other students who’ve stepped up to this challenge.”
“It has been lovely to see and hear about these students wanting to make a difference to the world in which we live. There have been some excellent ideas, and lots of enthusiasm shown towards this challenge.
Blayne’s PSHE teacher Gabrielle Vella said: “This term my Year 7 students are learning about global citizenship and discovering what it means to be a good citizen. To bring the topic to life, I decided to challenge the students to ‘Change the World’ in whatever way they can.
“Some students have raised money for charities, some have written letters to the Government, some are personally doing different things to make others happy, another student is cutting her hair for the Little Princess Trust.
“They have all made me very proud, and it’s amazing to see these children passionate about developing, and changing, the world.”
