Press Release - May 2014

A group of pupils from Saint Paul's Catholic High School in Wythenshawe recently took part in a Big Car Wash where they washed cars in order to raise money for Henshaws Society for Blind People.

The Year 10 pupils wanted to support a local charity and chose Henshaws because of their work with the blind and the visually impaired in the local community.

The aims of Henshaws are to improve the eye health of people living in the UK and eliminate avoidable sight loss. They also deliver excellent support to people with sight loss and enhance the inclusion, participation and independence of the blind.

The fund raising was led by Year 10 pupil, Niamh McLoughlin, who had a great desire to help the visually impaired and demonstrated exceptional leadership skills in her organisation of the week-long event.

"Niamh wanted to offer her support to Henshaws whose vision is to enable people with sight loss and people with other disabilities to build the skills and independence they need, to achieve the future they want," explained Ms Claire Bowman of Saint Paul's.

"She was inspired by the charity and wanted to help those with sight loss to achieve their full potential in life, enabling them to live independent and fulfilling lives."

Mrs Fiona Minshall, Head Teacher at Saint Paul's, said:

"We are all very proud of Niamh and the initiative she has shown in raising the profile of Henshaws Society for the Blind and the commitment of her time and energy. Fundraising by students is a regular activity at Saint Paul's, it involves fun activities that help others and build group cooperation. We encourage fund raising activities which deepen students' understanding and enhance their potential to become well-informed active citizens."