Supporting local families

Freemasons from the Lodge of Harmony boosted the Abbey School's efforts in supporting local families at Christmas by donating valuable funds to the school's 'Care Bags' scheme.

As well as donating £250 from Harmony's own funds, the lodge arranged for an additional contribution of £500 from the Cornwallis Charity which is administered across the province of East Kent.

The school's assistant principal,  Alyce Le Brunn-Healey, explained that, since the pandemic, the school had seen a growing level of need amongst local families during holiday periods, particularly christmas.

Explaining that this year the school had supported 35 individual children, "those who needed it most during the festive season," she added: "We are deeply grateful to our Masonic partners for recognising this need and enabling us to respond with compassion and care."

Families needing support are identified through close collaboration across the school. "We reach out to teams including pastoral support, the school therapist, SENCo, the vice principal (pastoral) and the safeguarding team, ensuring support is targeted thoughtfully, sensitively and appropriately," Alyce explained.

"We treat students and families with the utmost dignity and respect at all times. Care parcels are delivered directly to homes, so we know they reach the right hands and are shared discreetly under the guise that the family’s name has been drawn as part of an engagement raffle, ensuring support is received without stigma or embarrassment."

Families supported this year included a refugee family living Faversham, a child unable to attend school due to severe ill health, a household with multiple children living in temporary care while a parent is in hospital, a self-employed single mother in poor health and unable to work and two children who had lost a parent during the year.