ALL Saints College held a pre-loved Christmas Market where the school raised a whopping £1,000 which has been donated to Foodstock and The Welcome Organisation.
At the market the school hosted stalls selling new and pre-loved books as well as arts and crafts made by the Art Department. Also at the market were Christmas decorations for sale, jewelry and a bake sale.
Pupils and those attending got to take part in face painting and there was a tambola with prizes donated by local businesses.
Business Studies teacher Deirdre Vallely, who was involved in organising the market, said: "The main aim of the event was to invite the local community into our school and get some bargain Christmas presents, as well as raise money for two local charities in our community, the West Belfast Foodstock and The Welcome Organisation. We were blown away by the generosity of our school community and were able to present both charities with a £500 cheque each.
"We are especially grateful to local businesses Goodfellas Restaurant, Yum, Bourkes Sports, O’Neills, Beechmount Hardware Store, DB Lashes, Sunset Beauty, Little O’s, Cakes by Lily, Pizza Guys and Boutique Aroma."
ASC presented two cheques for £500 each to @Foodstock__ and @homelessbelfast from the money raised from our Christmas Market. A special mention and thanks to all the local businesses who generously donated prizes for our ballot. 🎅🎁🎄👏 pic.twitter.com/lH5n3Qy8Cz
— All Saints College Belfast (@SaintsCollege) December 19, 2023
Receiving the donation, Paul Doherty of Foodstock said he was extremely grateful and the donation would go towards supporting over 800 families this Christmas.
“This was a fantastic response from the community and a fantastic idea which brought the community together and we’ve seen here today a £500 donation to Foodstock which is going to support and show solidarity with so many people who are facing real financial difficulty this Christmas," he said.
“Foodstock is currently on a weekly basis giving out to over 500 plus homes but this year it’s 800 plus, we’re also getting out 350 Christmas dinners to families. It’s a very difficult time for many and it’s great to see schools like All Saints coming together to help others and making a real difference, we’re very grateful for their support."
XMAS MARKET: Face painting at the All Saints College Christmas Market
Kieran Hughes of the Welcome Organisation, which helps the homeless, said they were very grateful and the money raised would go towards providing Christmas hampers and services for homeless.
Kieran said: “The money raised today will go towards all of our services. The Welcome Organisation provides a range of services for people affected by homeslessness. We’ve a drop-in centre, crisis accommodation for women, supported accommodation for women, a full support service and a mobile health unit.
“The services continue as normal throughout the Christmas period so what we’re doing at the moment is putting together gift bags and hampers and we’ll distribute them directly to people who are homeless over the Christmas period.
“The money that everyone here at All Saints College has raised will go towards our Christmas items, hampers and gift parcels and will directly help people who are homeless. We're very grateful to them for this donation.”
