SJP in the Community/Charities
Students from St John Payne are active in the community, participating in many acts of service and charity, guided by the sense of community engendered by our vibrant House system. This sees students raise significant funds for a number of charities.
Catholic Brentwood Children's Society
We support throughout the year with fund raising activities ranging from coffee mornings and non-uniform days, to sponsored events. Each year the money raised is shared between the Catholic Brentwood Children's Society and the charities nominated by our Houses.
CAFOD
During Lent, Houses are tasked with putting on Charity events such as fairs, name the Teddy, raffles, bake sales, sponsored silences, quizzes, competitions and more. Year 13 organize a fair for the younger years.
CHESS
We support a Christmas Jumper Day for staff and students to raise money for CHESS (Chelmsford Homeless).
Foodbank/Harvest Appeal
Each Year we aid the local Foodbank through a harvest appeal organised by the local churches of Chelmsford that sees students and staff donate food items and money to help those in need. Last year we gathered 80 boxes of food (pasta, rice, sugar and plain flour). Students also donated £200 to aid transportation costs to Bulgaria, where the food was distributed to the needy.
Operation Christmas Child
The school has supported this fantastic initiative for the past 13 years. In that time our school community has collected somewhere in the region of 5,300 boxes. The founder of this scheme estimates that our contribution is the largest amount of boxes throughout Great Britain.
These boxes make a tremendous difference to the lives of the individuals who receive them. This is apparent when viewing the DVD that is compiled by Samaritans Purse, the parent company of Operation Christmas Child. The smiling faces of the young children show that the box means everything; it may be the only present the child has ever received.
Other House Charity Initiatives
We raise money for various other charities throughout the year and it is the custom that students select one charity to be the main beneficiary of our efforts. Charities we have supported include:
- Churwee School Project Tanzania - £3000 raised
- Walk the Walk Breast Cancer Charity - over £4000 raised
- The British Heart Foundation (in memory of Mrs Irene Ranns) - £4000 raised
- The Meningitis Trust (in memory of former student Michael Reilly) - £4600 raised
- The Essex Air Ambulance Trust - £3000 raised
- Great Ormond Street Hospital - £1,000 raised
- CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young)
Elsewhere, this sense of community and service is witnessed by the many students who each year attend pilgrimage to Lourdes with the HCPT in support of disabled and disadvantaged students. This is a truly life affirming experience for all involved. Closer to home, we enjoy a wonderful relationship with Columbus School and College, a special school adjoining our site, with many students visiting on a weekly basis to assist in activities that demonstrate both schools’ commitment to inclusion and support for society’s most vulnerable. Our rich musical tradition also sees students serve at commemoration services in the local and wider community.
