Giving to charity and helping others is an important part of the school ethos. Each year, the school adopts a charity which it raises funds for throughout the year by having cake sales, sponsored events and enterprising activities that classes create; as well as through formal collections at church services and retiring collections at school events.
Students lead a number of assemblies on charities they think the school should support. Students then vote and the chosen charity is supported for the next twelve months. New Year 7 students cast their votes following presentations at their induction day in July.
In our Centenary year (2017-18) pupils were keen to support girls who have not had the educational opportunities enjoyed by LMS students. We raised a staggering £3,220 for SACCA Rwanda (The Streets Ahead Children’s Centre Association) a local NGO registered in Rwanda that works to protect and rehabilitate children who have been living on the street as well as preventing them from reaching the streets in the first place
The 2016/17 charity was nominated by a group of Year 10 girls who particularly wanted to do something to support girls of their own age facing challenging issues. The overall aim of the Freedom Charity is to raise awareness and prevent child abuse, keeping children safe. They work to bring awareness, help and support with regards to forced marriage, dishonour based violence and female genital mutilation (FGM).
The Lady Margaret School Charity for was 2015/16 was Plan UK’s Because I am a Girl campaign. This campaign works with girls, with their communities, and with their governments, to implement programmes that help to ensure girls can access a quality, safe education and to reduce the incidence of child marriage and female genital mutilation.
In the year 2014-15 our joint school charities were Mind and Young Minds. Every student had a vote and these two were chosen after presentations by the girls in assembly.
In the year 2013-14 the winning charity was Water Aid, the nomination of two Year 8 students. Is an international non-governmental organisation whose mission is to transform lives by improving access to safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation in the world’s poorest communities.
In 2012-2013 our school charity was Stop the Traffik, a global coalition working together to help stop the sale of people, to see the traffickers prosecuted and to protect the victims of human trafficking. A year of fundraising activities culminated in £6,000 being raised in the school’s sponsored walk in September, held as part of the school’s birthday celebrations.