Staff and students from St Martin’s swapped their comfy bedrooms to sleep rough for the night to raise money for Lawrence House charity that helps homeless young people. We started our evening with an opening liturgy led by the children. We were very blessed to be joined by Bishop Patrick McKinney for a part of the evening. The pupils had an opportunity to reflect on the Good Samaritan scripture reading and how they can show kindness and compassion to others. Louise, the manager from Lawrence house joined us and delivered a short talk on the history of Lawrence house and how they support young people. The 54 young people and 5 staff put themselves in the shoes of the homeless, with just coats, sleeping bags and cardboard boxes to brave the elements overnight, away from modern creature comforts. We all slept outside in the cloisters area of the school. The event on Friday 6th March aimed to raise awareness of youth homelessness and the pupils worked incredibly hard to raise lots of money. We raised a grand total of £4,666.95 Lucy Chapman-It was a brilliant experience to be a part of, watching our young people show such compassion and love for people that they may never meet and having the opportunity to make such a great impact to the work of Lawrence House. Rosie Coghlan – the Late Sister Louis Bertrand OP, the first Principal of St. Martin’s Academy, laid the foundation stone of Lawrence House on 29th April 1992, and what a privilege for our students to be aware of the continuous and ongoing work in Lawrence House. “This incredible experience has made me think deeper about what homeless people have to go through.” Gaby Law, Year 8
