A SCHOOL has pitched in to help after a six-year-old pupil told how her family was collecting items to form care packages for Afghan refugees.

Isla Medd, a member of the Trinity Group at Marwood School, Great Ayton, and her family are gathering the items for refugees settling locally. Her mother, Kate Medd, is a volunteer at the school, training to be a teaching assistant, and her father recently served in Afghanistan with the British forces.

Having spoken to the family, the school community then offered its support. As a result, personal care and food boxes have been donated by parents and families to the Afghan Relocation Assistance Program in Middlesbrough.

The Trinity Group is a collective pupil group at the school, with representatives from all three classes, which looks at enhancing its Christian aspects.

Headteacher, Dorothy Walton said: “We seek to get involved with global and local issues and look to support charities that our children are involved with. So when Isla shared what her family was doing, all the children were keen to get involved. These boxes have since been shared with the refugee families and we hope that they have brought some comfort as they adjust to their new lives. I am incredibly proud of Isla and the rest of the Marwood School community for their caring and thoughtful actions.”

Isla added “I hope that other people will give to the Afghanistan refugees. It’s a really kind thing to do because they came with nothing.”