Outwood Academy Newbold supports local families in need over the festive period

On Christmas Eve, Outwood Academy Newbold transformed into a community hub to support local families over the festive period. In a first-of-its-kind initiative for the academy, staff and community volunteers gathered to distribute essential food parcels and Christmas gifts to families facing hardship during the school holidays.

The initiative was driven by Sue Lowe, a staff member at the school, and supported by a group of colleagues. Working in partnership with major retailers including Lidl, M&S and Sainsbury’s, as well as other local supermarkets, the academy collected surplus food to create care packages.

Each package contained enough essentials to provide food to feed a family for an entire week. Beyond the food packages, the academy also distributed Christmas presents, including games, teddy bears, and toys, to ensure that children in the community had gifts to open on Christmas morning.

Sue Lowe said:

“Christmas to me is a time for people to spend with their loved ones. There are too many people who don’t have the resources to get food for their families, and doing this will help ensure people have everything they need over the Christmas period. I am deeply passionate about helping those in need and am thankful the supermarkets are supporting our Christmas Eve food bank collection to ensure that surplus food is going to those who need it.”

Rob Southern, principal at Outwood Academy Newbold, added:

“I was delighted to support the Chesterfield food bank by opening the academy on Christmas Eve to operate as a distribution point. It enabled dozens of families to receive food and gifts so that their Christmas celebrations could be filled with joy.”

By opening its doors during the holidays, Outwood Academy Newbold reinforced its commitment to its students and the wider Chesterfield area, ensuring that support remains available even when the school term has ended.