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Caring Pupils link with Thorney Croft

COMMUNITY-MINDED pupils at Castle Kennedy School have won £1500 in a national competition, thanks to their special links with Stranraer¹s Thorney Croft Care Home.

Primary seven children at the school won top prize in the Let's Celebrate Citizenship competition run by Grampian Police.

The pupils went to Stirling last Thursday to give a presentation in front of over 50 people at the city's university. They were also handed their prize-winners cheque which then left them with the difficult question of how to spend the money!

Teachers and pupils quickly decided they would use some of the money to pay for a trip across the sea to Belfast Zoo. More of the cash has been used to buy gifts for their friends at Thorney Croft.

The school submitted a detailed and impressive portfolio to judges of the competition. Neatly laid-out and using photographs and text, it told of the ways in which the school links up with Thorney Croft. As well as, for example, performing songs for members, the children have this year taken things a stage further by getting to know Thorney Croft members on a one-to-one basis.

Also featured in the presentation are local PCs Allan Raymond and Neil McCulloch who are regular visitors to Castle Kennedy School. It was all enough to impress judges at the competition who decided Castle Kennedy were best out of over 60 entries from all over Scotland.

Castle Kennedy headteacher Margie Ferguson said:

"We won the special link category of the competition based on a presentation we submitted about our link with Thorney Croft.

We already had strong connections with Thorney Croft and that gave us the idea to enter the competition.

Our connections go back about five years when it was Rhinsdale House. When it became Thorney Croft the invitations just kept coming to us and we have kept going ever since".

Speaking this week about the school's special link with Thorney Croft, pupil Kirsty Dey said:

"We all enjoy our visits there. The last time we went, one of the members was telling us about the war and what he did in it. It is always very interesting".

Her fellow primary seven pupil, Jenna Binnie, added:

"Another of the Thorney Croft members came out to our school as a special guest during our sports day.

We all enjoy meeting with them and speaking about their lives."