A Lochaber school which won £3,000 to donate to a local charity has received a cash boost of its own.
Three Kinlochleven High School students came out top in the Youth Philanthropy Initiative which encourages young people to understand the important work of local charities, while the school’s own community programme, Kinlochlovin’, received £1,000 through a Changemaker Fund.
All S3 pupils took part in the philanthropy initiative and were divided into eight groups. Each one had to choose a local charity to represent in the competition.
The eventual winners were Aaron Aitken, Sinead MacDonald and Jodie Daynes who selected the Lochaber Friendship Group for the Visually Impaired. The three pupils visited the charity in their own time and researched its work before making a presentation to a panel of judges and the whole school.
The charity will use the cash to pay expenses for transport and trips, to train volunteers and carry out more visits to read to people who are visually impaired.
It is the second year that Kinlochleven High has taken part in the initiative, sponsored by the Wood Trust.
The school has decided that money received by Kinlochlovin’ from Santander’s Changemaker Fund will be used to turn a retro caravan into a mobile shop. The charity aims to support local vulnerable and disadvantaged young people and the move will allow pupils to sell the products they make within the wider community.
