STUDENTS at a North-East secondary school have been working hard to make Christmas a little bit easier for hundreds of struggling families and older people.

Pupils at Whitworth Park Academy, in Spennymoor, collectively donated enough food to feed an estimated 450 hungry families, and delivered dozens of Christmas hampers to older residents across their community.

The efforts were led by the school’s student leaders, including the Head Boys and Head Girls of each year group, and members of the student council.

Olivia Lewis, Head Girl of Year 7, said: “We want to help our communities as much as possible at this time of year, because a lot of families struggle over Christmas.”

Hunter Anderson, Head Boy of Year 8, said: “We think every family deserves to have a nice Christmas, not just the most fortunate.”

“Even the smallest gesture can make a big difference to somebody,” added Jayden Nixon, Year 10 Student Leader.

The Northern Echo: The amount of food collected by the students is estimated to be enough to feed around 450 familiesThe amount of food collected by the students is estimated to be enough to feed around 450 families (Image: Whitworth Park Academy)

Pupils at the school, which is part of the Advance Learning Partnership family of schools, filled five large, unused wheelie bins to the brim with donated food items, which have been donated to three local food banks.

They also put together Christmas hampers, containing chocolates, games, books, and food, from donated items to deliver to older local residents.

“This appeal has been a fantastic example of our school values at work for the good of our community,” said Alfie Stephenson, Year 10 Student Leader. “Kindness, Diligence, and Respect are what sets Whitworth Park apart, and we’re always keen to demonstrate those values to the public.”

The school was also able to increase the reach and impact of its campaign by partnering with social housing provider Livin Housing, which enjoys a long-standing relationship with the school. Staff at Livin not only collected donations of food around its office, but also donated an additional £1,000 to the appeal to buy extra supplies for food banks.

Humanities teacher, Emma Napier, who acts as staff liaison to the student council, said: “Not only are we very grateful to Livin for their kind support, but we’re also really proud of the generosity of our entire student body, and of the effort our student leaders have put into this appeal. We’re very lucky to have them representing our school.”