School_Matters_Issue_34

16

#IPSPARTNERSHIPS The Scrubbery

Each week, everyone in LVI participates in a form of volunteering. Last term, I chose to volunteer at the ‘Scrub Hub’ in Roehampton. This was set up by Rosie Taylor-Davies, whose daughter had expressed concern about the serious shortage of PPE for medical staff in the hospital at which she was working. She and her medical colleagues often had to work without the appropriate protective clothing; a shortage sadly replicated on a national scale. Something clearly needed to be done, and fast, to fix this chronic lack of equipment. Working from disused squash courts at the Bank of England Sports Club, Rosie, the former Head of Commercial Studio at the Royal School of Needlework, put her sewing skills to use and made a start. The initiative quickly caught on. More than a hundred volunteers, including me and several of my friends, stepped forward to offer their help, while a rota ensured social distancing. Rosie and her team worked tirelessly, sometimes toiling late into the night in the cold with little heating. #IPSPARTNERSHIPS Regenerate

Materials were kindly donated by the public: from duvet covers, sheets, pillowcases to old clothes. The bed linen and clothing became protective garments, and the pillowcases with drawstrings worked nicely as laundry bags. Our hard work paid off with over 15,000 of these items finished. Hospitals and nursing homes could not have been more grateful for this incredible contribution; and my group and I could not be more grateful to have been a part of such an inspiring and important initiative. Georgie Hughes, LVI [Further information, including opportunities for financially supporting The Scrubbery’s work, is available from www.thescrubbery.org – Ed.]

to support members of our local community during these difficult times. If you are able to donate, please do. We are banking on your support! Alex Mortimer, LVI I went to Heathmere Primary School with Ms Palmer to donate food IPS Sixth Formers had so generously given and found the experience quite overwhelming. Nick, a charity worker at Regenerate, explained to us the number of local people in need of help, sharing with us a list of the most urgently needed items: pasta, rice, pasta sauce, toiletries (toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel), flour and yeast, jams or spreads, squash, cereal, treats (biscuits, desserts, cake mix, hot chocolate powder). I think it is important that we do everything we can to help those who are struggling at this challenging time and keep giving generously. Oliva Daniels, UVI, President of Social Service [We thank all the pupils, parents and staff of IPS who have given so magnificently to this appeal over the many weeks of lockdown. Everyone’s efforts have been greatly appreciated by Regenerate and RacketsCubed and kept many vulnerable families going at this time. – Ed.]

It is imperative we acknowledge our privilege. The pandemic has cost some their livelihood, including those living very close to us. Regenerate established a food bank to run from Heathmere Primary school and has organised food boxes for those in need on the Alton Estate. The team at Regenerate has been enormously grateful for the donations and it has been lovely to work with its members on an ongoing basis throughout this academic year. Regenerate’s Roehampton Community Box delivered 8,138 food boxes in the year from March 2020, equating to over 9700 meals, and continued to help over 200 families each week. During the third lockdown, IPS maintained its crucial food bank scheme by asking families to provide boxes of food for Rackets Cubed, a UK-based charity which provides sport, education and nutrition programmes to disadvantaged young people. Rackets Cubed then distributed these food boxes to families in need. IPS did not stop helping others during lockdown. Indeed, we banded together

#IPSPARTNERSHIPS Plogulution Since the beginning of the academic year, my fellow classmates and I have been taking part in ‘plogging’. The term ‘plogging’ comes from the Swedish verbs ‘plocka upp’ and ‘jogga’ and is a combination of exercising and picking up rubbish. When you plog, you are not only benefiting yourself by exercising, you are also benefiting the planet, not to mention also helping to make the urban spaces around Roehampton a little bit more pleasant! At IPS, plogging is organised by the amazing social enterprise Plogolution. If you feel like exercising whilst helping the planet, then don’t hesitate to sign up! Although I felt good helping the environment whilst plogging, I could not help but also feel rather disappointed at the amount of litter in the local area. Never ones to shy away from a challenge, this revelation motivated us LVIs to keep on plogging to improve the area’s environmental quality. I have greatly enjoyed plogging and hope many more people next year will be able to see its multitude of benefits. Louisa Turner, LVI