Sheffield schoolgirls raise funds to help those affected by Australian bushfires

The students at Sheffield High School for Girls organised a bake sale to raise funds to help those affected by the Australian wildfires

Sheffield High School for Girls, near to the Botanical Gardens, held an assembly for all its students in Year 7 through to Year 11 to raise awareness of the wildfires which have raged since October and devastated much of Australia, including areas such as Melbourne, Sydney and the capital of Canberra where health advice has recently been issued for smoky conditions.

The assembly, which took place on January 20, was led by geography teacher Andrew Davies who explained the cause of the bushfires, the factors contributing to them spreading across the country and the severity of the crisis explaining the scale of the blaze when compared to the areas it would cover if it were to happen in the UK.

Entire towns have been engulfed in flames with residents across several Australian states losing their homes and over 20 people, including volunteers, have died.

Sheffield High School for Girls held an assembly for all students Year 7 to 11 to raise awareness of the Australian bushfires

Ged Manning, External Relations Manager at Sheffield Girls High, also spent his Christmas and new year in Australia so was able to speak to the girls about his own experiences of how this is affecting those living in Australia and told his story of smoke filling his plane when he started to descend into Sydney.

Mr Manning said: “We’re very proud that our pupils are so compassionate and caring. The assembly we held ahead of Australia Day showed the girls the real-life consequences for local people and animals dealing with the fires. We’re glad to be able to contribute in any way we can to alleviate their struggles and help with raising awareness.”

In total, the school raised £326 for the cause – £126 from a cake sale held on Friday, January 24, and the rest in donations over the course of the week.

All proceeds will be divided between the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), an international non-governmental organisation which works to preserve wildlife and their habitat, and the Australian Red Cross, which helps people in crisis.

The fundraising efforts will now be continued this week, starting on Monday, January 27.