A silence for nature that can't speak up
A group of S1 students from the Wallace Hall Eco committee recently completed a sponsored silence to raise funds for the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust. Led by Heather Kellock and Lucy Robson, the keen environmentalists raised and impressive £390 for the Trust.
Heather said: “I am President of Plastic Free Scotland (PFS) which is a group we started in school as part of the Eco committee. I came up with the idea for a sponsored silence for the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust as I am very passionate about the environment and I love nature. Having been to the Hebrides a number of times during my summer holidays, I have experienced first-hand the beauty of these majestic animals. I am so disappointed that we, as individuals or groups, need to take such steps to raise awareness of climate change as our leaders and role models should ensure our environment and the animals who inhabit it are protected as a national priority. I was ecstatic and very proud of everyone who took part in the sponsored silence, particularly when I counted all the money and realised that we had raised £390 as we thought we would only raise a small amount.”
Lucy added: “I am the Vice Present of our PFS group and was delighted when my best friend Heather came up with the idea to do a sponsored silence to raise money for the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust. I wanted to get involved because I am passionate about our planet and want to help create a more sensible and sustainable way of living on earth. I am proud and surprised that we raised £390 as I know that a lot of charities are struggling through lockdown. I hope that this one benefits from our efforts.”
Supporting Heather and Lucy in this venture were Esmee Bundy, Emily Clarke, Lacey Davies, Megan Davis, Aine O’Hara, Eve Taylor and Lucy Young and they all played a vital role in raising awareness of PFS and the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust.
Emily said: “I wanted to do the sponsored silence because I was keen to support my friends and want to start living a more sustainable life. I like to help out with PFS and do various jobs within the group. I really like all animals, especially marine life, and want to protect them and their habitats.”
Eve and Megan added: “When we heard Heather, Lucy and Emily were doing a sponsored silence for orca whales in Scotland we wanted to join in even though we aren’t actually members of the PFS group. Although we were only silent for 6 hours, we still wanted to make a difference and play our part in saving the planet.”
Aine and Lucy (Young) didn’t take part in the actual sponsored silence but they said: “Heather has told us all about the beauty of the Hebrides with its never-ending landscape and wide variety of animals and nature. We helped out by communicating with teachers and pupils, advertising the event, making and selling cushions to raise money and making sure that everyone knows the core values of our PFS group.”
Barry Graham, Head Teacher of Wallace Hall, said: “I am very impressed with the girls’ initiative in setting up their PFS group and their commitment to protecting our environment. As part of our vision, values and aims statement at Wallace Hall, we encourage our young people to demonstrate 8Cs including compassion, collaboration, creativity, communication and citizenship and this activity has demonstrated that the girls possess all these qualities. Well done to Heather, Lucy and their team for raising such a fantastic amount of money for their charity and for highlighting how climate change is having a devastating effect on our planet.”
