The staff and 85 pupils at Knossington Grange Therapeutic School in Rutland started collecting cans in February 2020. And, despite the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, they have already handed over 10,500 cans to Helipads For Hospitals.
Led by instructor Kevin Wright, the staff and pupils from the higher school and the lower school and the two residential blocks started to compete to see who could collect most.
They had high targets to hit. One young man who lives in Essex at the weekends returns to the school each week with several bin bags full of cans. Another collects cans at weekends when he is with his friends in motorsport.
Instead of finding two one-tonne builder’s bags, H4H volunteer Jim found two bags nearly as tall as him – packed with crushed cans. It’s the biggest collection from one donation site that he has made… and he had to make two trips with his car packed to the ceiling
Kevin said: “The young people have responded magnificently. We set a target of 5,000 cans, but it was soon clear that we would have to double that.”
Photography teacher Sharon Clark-Monks said: “It’s given them something to focus on.”
The video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X68sG35Zadg shows Kevin emptying one of the tall bags into two smaller bags to fit in Jim’s car.
Kevin is no stranger to working for charities… four times in the last 18 years he has cycled from Melton Mowbray to Skegness and back over a weekend. With his wife Paula and their sons and Paula’s brother, he cycled Lands End to John O Groats. They have cycled from Knossington to Stoke Gabriel, Devon and Kevin has ‘braved the shave’. Charities the family has supported includes MacMillan Cancer Support, the Rainbows Children’s Hospice, the Air Ambulance and the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Thank you, Kevin and Paula and your family and friends and students. Thanks for now helping Helipads For Hospitals.
The photos below were taken by two of the photography students and their teacher
Photo by Cody Clark
Photo by Dylan Giddens
Photo by photography teacher Sharon Clark-Monks
Last edited: 18:30 on Thursday, August 13, 2020
I have about 5 big bin bags of aluminium cans. Where do I drop them off or you collect? I really don’t want them to go into recycling!!!
Hi Cath
Thanks for getting in touch. Please e-mail by clicking on the Contact Us tab at the top right-hand-side of this page. If you let us have your full street address, e-mail address and phone number(s), we will tell you where your nearest donation point is or arrange to collect from you.
Thanks for your support