Schools > Community activities

Community Activities

Dame Alice Harpur School

Dame Alice girls like to be active within our local community. Several girls from our Sixth Form help out every week at Shackleton Lower School and Ridgway School. They give support with reading and with activities for children with learning difficulties.

Recently a group of Year 11 girls devised and rehearsed a dance which they performed at an Asian Fair at Bunyan Church Hall in Bedford. This was a find-raising event for the Riverside (children's) Ward at Bedford Hospital. On the same Saturday, a group of Year 11 and 12 girls were busy doing face-painting at Hills Lower School for their Christmas Fair.

Lower School girls are collecting warm clothing to donate to the Prebend Street Day Centre, a charity which works with homeless people.

In November the Sixth Form hosted their annual Party for the Visually Impaired. Around 65 people nominated by Sight Concern were entertained at Dame Alice, along with their carers, guests and guide dogs, to a sumptuous tea and a lively musical interlude.

Dame Alice musicians have been out and about, too. The chamber choir has given lunchtime concerts at St. Paul's and St. Peter's churches, followed by leading the congregation of St. Paul's in a lovely Advent Carol Service. St Paul's now has its Christmas Tree Festival in full swing and visitors can admire the attractive tree decorated by the Junior School at Dame Alice. A group of senior girls and staff will be visiting some local residential homes in the last week of term to sing carols and bring messages of good cheer.

Bedford School

Bedford School has undertaken a wide range of outreach activities over the course of 2006-7. Students have volunteered with a number of local schools including Castle Lower School where the pupils work as classroom assistants, and help with sports activities.

The Observatory and Planetarium continues to open its doors to a wide range of local groups, and the boys undertake regular conservation work at Ickwell Bury which is a nature reserve to the South of Bedford.

Wear Your Own Suit Day in aid of the Kasiisi Porridge Project

The wider school has been involved in fund raising for a number of charities including over £1,000 raised for the Kasiisi Porridge Project which works with Primary School Children in Uganda.

The Preparatory School participated in 'The World's Largest Coffee Morning' and raised £800 for Macmillan Cancer Relief.

During 2007, a keen volunteer from the sports department at Bedford School coached budding young cricketers from the County Council pupil referral unit at Greys School. The schools hope to work together on another weekly session during 2008.

Fundraising for Riverside Ward, Bedford Hospital

Party for the visually impaired

Bedford Modern School

All forms of service to the community at BMS are now supported and overseen by the Outreach Committee, which is comprised of representatives from all of the main arms of outreach, including Charities, DofE, Community Service, Youth Action, World Challenge, Amnesty and Environmental groups.

Recent events have included hosting the Summer Party to which residents of the Charity's almshouses were invited, the Parents' Association Macmillan Coffee Morning at which almost £1,000 was raised, and a cycle ride of 996 miles from John O'Groats to Land's End to raise over £3,000 for the Leonard Cheshire Home in Ampthill.

BMS student Matt Bennett joined Africa and Asia Venture for his gap year. The organisation places volunteers on schemes in Africa, Asia and South America where they teach both academic subjects and sports in schools. Matt visited Kenya for four months to teach maths and English in Samoei Secondary school which educates boys aged 13 to 23 from some of the country's poorest rural communities.

For more information about Bedford Modern Schools' community work please visit their website:
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Bedford School Study Centre

The Study Centre has internatlonal students on a short term basis as they prepare to join a mainstream school in the UK. Whilst with the School, students volunteer at local community events such as Apple Day at Bromham Mill where students this year ran the apple bobbing stall. Apple Day is an important day in the Bedfordshire calendar which raises awarness of conservation and environmental issues.

The Study Centre has been working with local charity The Community Tree Trust for over 10 years undertaking invaluable work such as collecting tree and shrub seeds, and planting trees in the forest of Marston Vale.

Harpur House residents Tom and Gwenn with the Headmaster at the annual Summer Party

Apple Day at Bromham Mill

Bedford High School for Girls

Many girls participate in community activities whether under the auspices of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, the IB CAS or volunteering to help to help at Priory Lower School. Work in charity shops is a popular choice.

Last year fundraising by girls from Years 7-13 for local, national and international charities gathered a massive £14,875.00.  Girls in each year group chose a charity and hold numerous activities to raise money. A performance by the eminent playwright Sir John Mortimer was open to the public and some £2,100 was raised.

All parts of the school supported the PACAD request for spectacles for India. The Junior School ran its annual Christmas party for older residents in the community. A musical concert, a seasonal tea and Christmas gifts were provided.

Our charities for next year will be Ovarian Cancer Action, Debra, Cancer Research UK and the Jeanette Crizzle Trust. In addition we are going to make a long term commitment to a school in Pokharathok in Nepal. A new enterprise initiative for the sixth form is 'Wings of Hope'. Small teams of girls will be raising money by organising social and retail events, and the proceeds will go to support a school in India.

Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School

At Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School we continue to support the local state schools by offering the use of our swimming pool free of charge.  Castle Lower, The Hills and Woodside Middle School have all benefited from taking their children swimming over the past year.

A local government funded group called BeeZee Bodies also uses our facilities to educate local children who have been referred by their GP.  They learn how to cook and eat healthy, nutritious food.  They are also introduced to exercise through playing outdoor and indoor games.  Some of the children were also given their first ever swimming lesson!  The sessions were so popular last year that they are running again from January 2008.

Children in Need 2007

During the past year the children have supported The British Heart Foundation, Children in Need and Home Start. The latter is the school’s chosen charity for 2007/08.