Children and staff joined together with family, friends and members of the community to donate bags of clothing, shoes, handbags and other accessories to raise funds through the Bags2School Scheme.

Established in 1999, the initiative buys second-hand textiles to supply countries in Eastern Europe, South America and Africa, and has paid out over £48 million to schools and other groups for collected items.

“The Friends of West Lynn Primary have been organising Bags2School for well over ten years now,” said Michelle Adams, Receptionist at the school, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“We have around three collections per year where we ask parents, staff and local residents to fill a bin bag full of clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories.

“The amount we collect ranges from between 100 to 200 kilos each time, and this raised between £50 and £100.”

“We hope to make anywhere up to £100,” she continued. “We would like to spend this on improving the pupils’ playtimes, with markings for outdoor play and learning, and by purchasing game tables and wall-mountable activities.

“These fundraising initiatives are very important to us, as they enable us to raise money to benefit all pupils in the school and enhance their learning environment.”

“It also involves the wider community, as we advertise on the West Lynn Village Facebook page and encourage donations,” she added.

“These smaller fundraisers are simple to organise and rely on the support from the school community. At the same time, we are helping the environment by recycling unwanted clothes and stopping them from being put into landfill.”

Our next fundraising event will be Summer Bingo, which will take place at the school on 24 June, and will also be in aid of the playtime project.