Wick High School pupils secure £3000 for daycare centre garden project
Plans to create a wellbeing garden at a local daycare centre have been boosted by a £3000 funding award secured by Wick High School pupils.
The money for the Laurandy Centre has come through the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI), an active citizenship programme that enables young people to make a difference in their communities while developing a range of skills.
Wick's S2 pupils recently held the finals of their YPI project. All pupils in the year group had to prepare a presentation and deliver it, with the winning class presentations being put forward to the final in which they were vying to win £3000 for their chosen local charity.
The judges were Ellie Lamont, Joanna Coghill and Carrie Bennett.
Guidance teacher Pam Bain said: "The quality of presentations was excellent and the judges had a difficult task deciding who should be the winning team. The Laurandy Centre came out on top.
"Well done to Emily Webster and Phoebe Snook for doing such a good presentation and winning this money for their charity.
"We are grateful to all the charities for helping our pupils gather their information and letting them pay a visit. Thanks to the judges and the charities that attended the final."
Laurandy Centre manager Tracy Mackay said: "Everyone here was delighted that the students picked the Laurandy Centre as their chosen charity.
"The ladies and gentlemen enjoyed spending time with the students, getting to know them and sharing stories over a few weeks.
"When we found out we were finalists, everyone was excited at the prospect of winning £3000.
"Jill Duncan and I were invited to the school to attend the final presentation. We have to say how fantastic all the students were during their presentations – they had obviously put a lot of work and effort into their projects, and to then get up and speak in front of their peers must have been daunting for them.
"It would have been a very hard decision for the judges, as everyone would have been a worthy winner.
"We are planning on developing the area of ground in front of our building. We want to create a wellbeing garden where the ladies and gentlemen can enjoy a peaceful area with winding paths, raised flowerbeds, a summerhouse and seating areas.
"The money that the girls have won us will be used to create this vision."
Tracy added that the Laurandy Centre supports intergenerational working. "We are aware of the benefits of our ladies and gentlemen engaging with the young," she said.
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"It can help them remain active as they age, learn new skills, and feel valued by society. It can help tackle isolation and loneliness and, just as important, it can be a fun way of meeting new people by sharing and learning together."
The YPI was introduced to Scotland in 2008 by the Wood Foundation. It has engaged more than 270,000 young people who have been involved in some £6 million of charitable giving.