Cornish school children walk distance of Ukraine to Poland to raise money

Pupils have been helping refugees by raising money for ShelterBox

Author: Sarah YeomanPublished 24th Mar 2022

Cornish school children have been walking around Hayle to help raise money for people in Ukraine.

The pupils of Penpol School have each walked a mile around the town while wearing the colours of Ukrainian flag on Thursday morning (24th March).

Their total distance covered, 414 miles, is similar to that travelled by many Ukrainians who are fleeing the conflict to refugee camps in Poland.

The children have been getting sponsors and so far have raised over £1,200 for Truro-based ShelterBox.

The disaster relief charity is supporting people who are affected by the conflict.

You can find the fundraising page here.

Some of the pupils in Year 5 spoke to us about why they think it is important to help those affected by the conflict.

10-year-old Aidan said: "Some people in Ukraine have lost like all of their houses and it's important that we try and help them."

Hazel, 9, said: "We're doing this because Russia has been bombing Ukraine and they have lost their houses, their food supplies and their water."

Piran, who's 10, added: "I think it's important to raise money for them so we can give it to them to help them live a normal life."

Their Just Giving page reads: "At Penpol School, we will be walking 414 miles to show support and raise money for the refugees of Ukraine. Each pupil will walk 1 mile on the 24th March 2022. Collectively, this is the distance that many Ukrainian families have needed to travel in order to reach the safety of a refugee camp.

"We are encouraging the children to seek sponsorship for their mile with all funds going directly to ShelterBox, a Truro-based charity who have a team in Poland supporting the many families who have needed to flee their homes. We will also be wearing blue and yellow for this event, the colours of the Ukrainian flag!

"Any contributions are gratefully received and will make a big difference to those most in need."

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