insideKENT Magazine Issue 47 - February 2016 | Page 14

NEWS SCHOOLS IN THE SOUTH EAST SHAPE UP FOR SPORT RELIEF 2016 Sport Relief is back and once again pupils and teachers from all over the South East will be making every Mile count this March. Schools across the region are already planning to take part and raise vital cash to help change the lives of vulnerable people here in the UK and across the world’s poorest communities. For Sport Relief 2014, schools across the South East raised an incredible £680,000 by running, hopping, skipping and jumping their way around a Mile. One school limbering up for Sport Relief 2016 is The Math School in Rochester. Dedicated pupils and teachers are hoping they can raise even more money this year by taking part in a whole range of fundraising activities. P.E Teacher Angus Parker said, “We love taking part in Sport Relief, getting our pupils, teachers and even parents involved in the fun. It’s a great way to bring everyone together and we always come up with something different to raise as much money as we can. Everyone really gets stuck in!” This year, Comic Relief is challenging schools in the South East to try a new twist on their Mile, from fancy dress to balancing beanbags on their heads. Teachers can get started by signing up for a free school fundraising kit. It’s full of fundraising ideas, posters, balloons and stickers, as well as learning resources to help pupils understand where the money goes. Just head to www.sportrelief.com/schools. © Alexander Walker There are lots of ways to get involved: at school, in the workplace and in the local area. From Friday 18th to Sunday 20th March 2016 the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games are back and the whole of the South East will walk, run, swim or cycle itself proud to raise vital cash to help people living incredibly tough lives. In fact, half of all the money raised by the public is spent right here in the UK, with the other half used to make a difference in the world’s poorest communities. Sign up now at www.sportrelief.com. BARRATT BOOSTS NATURAL HABITATS BY TEAMING UP WITH RSPB A unique partnership between the UK’s best known homebuilder and the RSPB promises to see more wildlife-friendly housing developments being built in the area, giving nature a new home. Barratt Homes has signed an agreement – the first of its kind in the UK – with the RSPB to boost natural habitats at its developments in Kent using updated landscaping and new guidance. As the country’s urban wildlife struggles, with 60% of plants and animals facing decline, it is hoped that this agreement between the major homebuilder and conservation charity will help boost biodiversity. Welcoming the partnership, Mike Clarke, chief executive of the RSPB, said: “With hundreds of thousands of homes needed across the country in the next few years, now is the time for conservationists and homebuilders to pull together to ensure the wildlife is boosted rather than ousted in the process. “We are confident that many positive steps can be taken to build wildlife into new housing developments, giving nature and people a home and increasing quality of life, and all relatively simply and cheaply.” 14 The partnership will also see Barratt Homes working with the RSPB to raise employee awareness of wildlife-friendly best practice across its sites in the region and throughout its supply chain nationally.