Penistone Grammar School is known for its strong commitment to charitable work, with a particular focus on supporting Sheffield Children's Hospital. Through the staff, students and parents’ efforts we have won and been nominated for a number of awards and have been able to raise over £50,000 to help improve the lives of children and families in need. In addition to making a positive impact on those supported by the hospital, the school's charitable efforts also play a crucial role in the personal development of its students. By participating in various charity projects, students are able to learn important values such as compassion, empathy, and social responsibility, which help to prepare them for a successful future. We also support the Barnsley Foodbank, providing regular donations, which emphasises to our students our core value of being supportive.
Supporting Sheffield Children's Hospital
For the past six years we have supported the Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity (https://www.schc.org.uk/). The Children’s Hospital is an incredible place, one of only four dedicated children’s hospitals across the country. It provides support for young people across Yorkshire, the midlands and beyond with state-of-the-art facilities and a worldwide reputation for outstanding care. It has touched and supported so many in our school community and we are passionate to continue to support this charity moving forward.
In the past six years we have raised over £52,000 for the charity and below is just a brief summary of some of the fantastic fundraising events we have been involved in.
Sponsored Consultancy Room
When the new wing of the hospital was being built we were delighted to sponsor one of the consultancy rooms and the SLT were proud to go and visit it. The money we provided (well over £5000), helped extend the room by 4ft. This may seem like a small thing, but it meant that both parents could be present to support their child at consultancy meetings without having the squeeze in. Equally it meant that wheelchair users could access each room.
30/30
In December for the past few years, we have set our mentor groups the challenge of raising £30 each in 30 days. Each year our mentor groups have smashed these targets, achieving over thousands of pounds each year. Students have thrown themselves into these activities, doing sponsored runs, shaving their heads, throwing sponges at staff, car washing and all manner of activities in-between. We look forward to continuing 30/30 in the future.
Herd of Sheffield and Bears of Sheffield
We were delighted to have had two elephants and two bears as part of the Little Herd of Sheffield and Bears of Sheffield trail which ran around Sheffield over the past few years. Our two elephants and bears reflected the diversity and strength of our local community, and they now have pride of place in our reception!
Snowflake
For the past six years we have had a light up snowflake on the side of the Children’s at Christmas. We were one of the first schools to do this and in 2019 we were given the honour of having the biggest star to recognise the money we had raised. Furthermore, the Principal Paul Crook was asked to turn the Christmas lights on that year. ‘It was one of the proudest moments of my career, not just recognising the hard work of our students and wider community, but also knowing we were making an impact on the young people who needed it most.’ (Paul Crook, Principal)
Hampers
For the past six years every Christmas we put together a hamper of goodies for staff who are working at the hospital over Christmas. We know that, whilst we are at home celebrating with our friends and family, they are working to look after sick and seriously ill children. We make sure there is a hamper for each ward and fill them full of chocolates, crisps, sweets, healthy goodies and non-alcoholic drinks.
Current Appeals
Please see below from the charity website the appeal we are currently working to support:
Major Trauma Unit - We need to transform our Major Trauma Centre with a new Emergency Department which is bigger, has more facilities and space for the hundreds of children who come through the doors with every problem imaginable.
Helipad - Sheffield Children’s is the designated Major Trauma Centre for children in South Yorkshire & Bassetlaw providing a service for over 375,000 children and young people. We need to get patients who urgently need critical care to our Emergency Department as soon as possible. A helipad will provide patients with privacy and dignity as they arrive. A helipad on the roof would also mean patients can land and be transferred anytime with flood lighting.
Barnsley Foodbank
We are proud supporters of the foodbank and run regular collections. This is part of the school’s core values of being supportive as we want to ensure all families in Barnsley and beyond have the best life chances.