Charity and Community Support

At Northleaze Church of England Primary School, we place a strong emphasis on compassion, generosity and service to others. Supporting charities is an important way in which we live out our Christian values and help our children understand how they can make a positive difference locally, nationally and globally.

Our Link with Go MAD – Go Make A Difference

We are proud to be linked with Go MAD UK (Go Make A Difference), a charity working with remote communities in the Dominican Republic to remove barriers to education and employment for young people.

Founded by Claire Hodgeson, who has lived and worked in the Dominican Republic since 2010, Go MAD works directly with local communities to create sustainable, long‑term change. One of the biggest challenges faced by children in rural villages is access to secondary education, as schools are often many miles away with no affordable transport.

Go MAD began by supporting individual students from the village of Esperanza to attend secondary school. As numbers grew, the charity funded a school bus to ensure that all children could access education. This bus continues to run today, opening doors to opportunities that can transform the future for young people, their families and their communities.

Our partnership with Go MAD reflects our Christian value of Compassion, which we describe as ‘love in action’. Through fundraising, collective worship and learning about life beyond our own community, children are encouraged to understand their role as global citizens and to see how even small actions can have a big impact.

Video Link

https://youtube.com/shorts/JYzN6Krizyc?si=zlb02CRfWCH3Re0B

 

Supporting Other Charities

Alongside our ongoing partnership with Go MAD, Northleaze also supports a range of local, national and international charities throughout the year. These often link with key events, curriculum themes or pupil‑led initiatives and help children to engage with causes they care about.

Charities we regularly support include:

• Comic Relief
• Jeans for Genes
• Children in Need
• Macmillan Cancer Support
• Save the Children
• The Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal
• Local community charities and church-led projects

Through non‑uniform days, fundraising events, special collections and pupil‑initiated ideas, children learn about empathy, responsibility and social justice, while developing confidence and leadership skills.

Making a Difference Together

We value the support of our families and wider community in helping us bring charity work to life. Together, we aim to nurture children who are thoughtful, compassionate and committed to making their light shine in the world.