Sierra Leonean Teachers visit Hastings
26 June 2019
Roger Mitchell writes: New experiences for the six teachers from Sierra Leone who have been working in their partner schools for the last week include not only the amazing facilities […]
26 June 2019
Roger Mitchell writes: New experiences for the six teachers from Sierra Leone who have been working in their partner schools for the last week include not only the amazing facilities […]24 June 2019
Farewell but Not Forever On Friday 21st June, at All Saints CE Junior Academy, we bade a fond farewell to Bernadette, our link teacher from Sierra Leone. During her visit […]23 June 2019
Sandwiched between days of rain the annual contest between teams from local schools, twinned with schools in Sierra Leone through the Hastings Sierra Leone Friendship Link, enjoyed warm sunshine […]
Friendship Link Schools Soccer Tournament 2019, the best yet!
Sandwiched between days of rain the annual contest between teams from local schools, twinned with schools in Sierra Leone through the Hastings Sierra Leone Friendship Link, enjoyed warm sunshine and a gentle breeze last week, to participate in the Link’s annual Schools’ Soccer Tournament which turned out to be the best yet.
This year the tournament was held at a new venue, the Bulverhythe playing fields, by kind permission of Hastings Council.
Teresa Bennett, School Sports Coordinator for Hastings and Rother Schools Games Partnership, once again was unflappably in charge of the tournament’s organisation, assisted this year by students from Bexhill College.
Both the Girls’ and Boys’ contests were fought on an all-play-all basis, each match lasting 9minutes. The girls provided a very close contest in which All Saints’ and Christ Church ended in a draw with equal points. Christ Church squeezed home in first place on goal difference, having won one of their matches by 9 goals to nil!
The Boys’ teams ended the afternoon with St Mary Star of the Sea triumphant, just one point ahead of Christ Church – a really close and exciting contest.
Garry Saunders, who coached the Christ Church teams said: “The standard of football played by all the participating teams has risen year on year. The Sierra Leone football tournament has become a real show piece finale to end the school football season.”
Jason Morton, in charge of PE at St Paul’s School said: “Parents were really impressed with the level of football on show”.
Hastings Mayor, Nigel Sinden was on hand to present the ‘gold’ medals to the winning teams and was assisted by Deputy Mayor, James Bacon, who presented the ‘silver’ medals to all other contestants.
Roger Mitchell, the Schools Liaison Officer for HSLFL responsible for the event, said: “the availability of refreshments at the new café, run by volunteers from the Friends of Combe Valley Nature Reserve greatly enhanced the afternoon’s festival atmosphere . I wish this venture every success”.
This was the last of the Sierra Leone Friendship Link tournaments to be organised by Teresa Bennett. She has been at the heart of every tournament since the first was held in 2007. Mayor, Nigel Sinden made a special presentation to Teresa on behalf of the Friendship Link. Teresa said: ”It has given me an enormous amount of pleasure to run these tournaments over the years and to work with everyone”.
Find out more about the Friendship Link and the work it is doing in Hastings, Sierra Leone at our website:
www.Hastingshastings.org.uk/about/
Sierra Leone link promotes Zero Waste
On June 15th a group of teachers from the Hastings area in Sierra Leone will be arriving to work for a week with students and staff in their partner schools in Hastings UK. As part of this year’s exchange programme they have all been making huge efforts to involve their children on both continents in Zero Waste activities. Global citizenship took another step forward when the Hastings UK schools took part in a clean-up afternoon.
Beach cleans and street cleans took place on Hastings beach and around Battle as part of the Hastings Sierra Leone Friendship Link’s Zero Waste project.
The Hastings beach clean-up crew came from All Saints’, St Leonard’s, St Paul’s and Sedlescombe CE Primaries while Battle Abbey, Battle and Langton and Claverham students purged the undergrowth and those corners where litter collects in Battle. Students and staff who took part were mildly encouraged to find less waste than they were expecting,
Schools coordinator Isabel Hodger commented, “perhaps the serious situation we all face is beginning to filter through to the public. It certainly needs to make a powerful and urgent impact on all sections of the community.”
Roger Mitchell, fellow schools coordinator added, “we were delighted by their enthusiasm, it is vital that the younger generation get the message clear and strong and the work which the 12 school partnerships with Sierra Leone are doing is clearly making an impact with students in participating schools.”
Jett from St Leonard’s CE school, speaking for so many of those present, said: “it was a valuable experience because I know how much rubbish is scattered around to get into the sea. It’s shocking how much people litter”.
The mother of Layla from All Saints’ CE school said: “It’s lovely to get kids involved in keeping the environment clean and making them aware of the consequences of failing to do so”.
Mia, Kitty, Maya and Andie from Claverham Community College were united in the view that this could make a real impact on Battle and the work they were doing in school was “rewarding and vital”.
Cllr Glenna Favell, the Mayor of Battle, said: “What a privilege it is to join with so many youngsters keenly involved in community service”.
James Bacon, Deputy Mayor of Hastings, who took part on the beach said: “I am thoroughly impressed with the commitment of our young people who are leading the way in learning to tackle climate change. It is an honour to support them”.
Find out more about the Friendship Link and the work it is doing in Hastings, Sierra Leone at our website:
www.Hastingshastings.org.uk/about/
Sussex Brass Raises £900 to bring water to schools in Hastings.
Hastings Mayor, Cllr. Nigel Sinden, and Deputy, Cllr. James Bacon, joined in with enthusiastic singing of “High we exalt thee, Land of the free”, the National Anthem of Sierra Leone, set the tone for a splendid concert given by Sussex Brass at St Matthew’s Church, Silverhill, on May 24th. Both always show a strong interest in the affairs of the Hastings Sierra Leone Friendship Link, having themselves taken part in visits to our friends in West Africa and joined fellow Link supporters at the event in St Matthews Church.
Varied styles of music created a fascinating programme of contrasts, from Paul McCartney’s sinister James Bond theme for “Live and Let Die” to Enrico Morriconi’s richly melodic “Gabriel’s Oboe” from the film “The Mission”. Neither can a concert given by Sussex Brass Band end without lusty audience participation in the rendering of “Sussex by the Sea”.
In the interval the audience enjoyed a tasty buffet of West African food prepared and brought from London by members of the Sierra Leone Hastings Association UK.
Roger Mitchell, one of the Link’s school twinning coordinators, explained,
“The purpose of the evening was to raise funds for the Link’s current drive to ensure a water supply and adequate sanitation for all twelve of our partner schools. It is difficult to imagine what it must be like for children and their teachers to attend schools without such basic essentials.”
Roger added,
“The evening raised an amazing £900. With the costs of connecting schools to a water supply varying from £500 (where there is piped water in the neighbourhood) to several thousand pounds where wells or boreholes need to be sunk. So this money will make a significant contribution to the project.”
Members of the Link wish to express their gratitude to everyone who supported the event and donated generously, but would especially like to thank Sussex Brass and the PCC of St Matthew’s Church for their generosity in making this success possible.”
The next event to be organised by the Link will be the annual soccer tournament for schools with partners in Sierra Leone. This is now in its twelfth year and will take place on the Bulverhythe Playing Fields on Tuesday 11th June starting at 1:30pm.
Then, on the 15th June, a party of seven teachers are arriving from Sierra Leone to work for a week with their UK partners – a visit made possible by British Council grants as these schools engage together in projects alerting young people to the consequences and irresponsibility of waste creation and mis-management.
Find out more about the Friendship Link and the work it is doing in Hastings, Sierra Leone at our website:
www.Hastingshastings.org.uk/about/
Sussex Brass support Schools Sanitation Project Fundraising Campaign
The Campaign to raise funds for the Schools Sanitation Project in Hastings, Sierra Leone will receive a further boost when Sussex Brass play at a concert at St Matthew’s Church, St Matthews Road, St. Leonards on Friday 24th May starting at 7.00 pm.
Richard Homewood, Link Chairman explained: “The Schools Sanitation Project is our latest initiative. Clean water, basic toilets and good hygiene practices are essential for the survival and development of children. In Sierra Leone the lack of these basic facilities in our twinned schools is impacting on their education and their futures.
Children often miss out on education because they spend hours every day collecting water and are exhausted if and when they get to school. Many older girls have to miss school on a regular basis due to the lack of menstrual hygiene facilities. We can help improve the prospects for the future of children in the schools we are twinned with in Hastings, Sierra Leone by ensuring they have a sustainable water supply, good basic sanitation and hygiene facilities.
We have already had a survey of the schools undertaken to establish what facilities they currently have and don’t have. We are now working with the schools to plan how we can improve the facilities and give the children a better chance for the future. The funds raised by the children of All Saints Academy will help as we continue to raise funds to complete the project in all 14 schools”
The Schools Sanitation Project is a major initiative and we need the continuing support of the community here in the Hastings, UK to enable our work to continue. We would be delighted to see everyone there a 7pm on Friday 24th. Sussex Brass always put on an amazing performance and we know from past experience that it will be a truly enjoyable event.”
All funds raised will go directly to support the Schools Sanitation Project and our other projects in Sierra Leone. Tickets are £10 (£5 for students) and can be obtained in advance from our secretary by calling 01424 436603, purchased on line at www.hastingshastings.org.uk or purchased on the door. Refreshments will be provided during the interval.
All Saints CE Junior Academy students go to extreme effort to raise funds for Twinned Schools in Sierra Leone.
Enthusiastic pupils from All Saints CE Junior Academy students participated in the Hastings Mini Run on March 24th 2019 to raise funds to improve hygiene and sanitation in their twinned schools in Sierra Leone. Seventeen children from across the year groups participated in this event and raised an incredible £1209 for their efforts. They were rewarded with the knowledge that the funds raised would go towards changing lives of children in their twinned schools in Hastings, Sierra Leone.
Mandy Hinxman from the school explained: “The students have been learning about the Friendship Link sanitation project and how our partner schools in Sierra Leone have little to no access to fresh water, toilets and garbage collection. Building on our Connecting Classroom project of Zero Waste, they decided that their chosen charity this year would be The HSLFL sanitation project. “
Mandy went on to say: “We would like to thank also their parents who supported and encouraged their children in this event and for the generosity of all of their sponsors.”
Isabel Hodger, one of the Twinning Programme Managers for the Link added: “We would like to thank the children of All Saints Academy for their hard work fundraising and their generosity. The funds raised will go toward our project to bring fresh water and improve hygiene and sanitation in the twinned schools in Hastings Sierra Leone. ”
Richard Homewood, Link Chairman went on to say: “The Schools Sanitation Project is our latest initiative. Clean water, basic toilets and good hygiene practices are essential for the survival and development of children. In Sierra Leone the lack of these basic facilities in our twinned schools is impacting on their education and their futures. Children often miss out on education because they spend hours every day collecting water and are exhausted if and when they get to school. Many older girls have to miss school on a regular basis due to the lack of menstrual hygiene facilities. We can help improve the prospects for the future of children in the schools we are twinned with in Hastings, Sierra Leone by ensuring they have a sustainable water supply, good basic sanitation and hygiene facilities. We have already had a survey of the schools undertaken to establish what facilities they currently have and don’t have. We are now working with the schools to plan how we can improve the facilities and give the children a better chance for the future. The funds raised by the children of All Saints Academy will help as we continue to raise funds to complete the project in all 14 schools”
People can donate to the project by going on to our website, www.Hastingshastings.org.uk and using the My Donate button.
Find out more about the Friendship Link and the work it is doing in Hastings, Sierra Leone at our website:
www.Hastingshastings.org.uk/about/
No forthcoming events.