Last week the pupils of The Yehudi Menuhin School performed in their Christmas Showcase Concerts. After the concert a retiring collection was made and an amazing £2,143.42 was generously donated.
The proceeds will be split between two good causes. Half of the collection will go to a local charity, Cobham Area Foodbank. The other half will help fund the School’s plans to help the cold and hungry refugees in Calais. In January, all pupils will be involved in preparing food parcels for those living in the ‘Jungle’. Some older pupils will visit the camp and give a concert. The School’s founder Yehudi Menuhin was the first professional musician to perform in the liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and throughout his life was committed to bringing music to disadvantaged people.
Dr Richard Hiller, Headmaster at the School, says the project is in keeping with the founder’s ethos: “In 2016 the School will be marking the centenary of our founder’s birth. We believe this project is something of which he would have whole-heartedly approved.”
Hugh Bryant, Cobham Area Foodbank Manager says he’s very grateful for the generous donation and it serves as a lifeline for those in need: “People assume Cobham is wealthy but we actually have 1500 in the local area receiving food from us annually. That number is growing, so this donation makes a huge difference.”