Coventry school children have joined together to raise almost £3,000 to support young people receiving care in hospital.

The Romero Catholic Academy, made up of seven primary schools and one secondary school in Coventry, has presented £2,949 to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital chaplaincy team.

The primary schools within the academy, which includes Corpus Christi, Good Shepherd, Sacred Heart, St Gregory’s, St John Fisher, St Patrick’s and SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary Schools, have been working hard to raise funds for the cause since December last year.

The fundraising was led by members of each school council who came up with a variety of activities for the children to take part in from toy sales and bake off events to non-uniform and fancy dress days.

A celebration has now been held to present the money to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital chaplaincy team, which provides support to children receiving care at the hospital and their families.

The event welcomed special guests Ruth Radley, Honorary Chaplain – child and community lead at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Councillor Kevin Maton, who congratulated the children and thanked them for their efforts.

Ruth said: “All of the children have done incredibly well and we would like to say a huge thank you to each and every one of them.

“We never expected them to raise so much money, and all of the funds will make a huge difference to those receiving care at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

“It’s very heart-warming to see children helping other children, and they’ve clearly had lots of fun raising the money. It’s also great to hear how they have worked together across the Academy to raise such a significant amount.”

Stephanie Gordon, learning mentor at Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School, said: “We are very proud of the children for all their work to raise funds for the Birmingham Children’s Hospital chaplaincy team.

“All of the schools have had children who have been treated at the hospital, so our annual fundraising initiative seemed the perfect way for us to give something back.

“The chaplaincy team does an excellent job in providing support and holding family activities for those at the hospital, and we were very pleased to welcome Ruth to hear more about their work and present the funds raised by the schools.”

Patrick Taggart, Academy Business Director, added: “Community engagement and support is a very important part of our academy and helping our 3,500 pupils to support their communities and those in need plays a big part of their education.

“Preparing our pupils to be good citizens is one of our key aims and we are delighted to help the hospital in the incredible work they carry out for children and their families.”

Photo caption: Ruth Radley, Honorary Chaplain – child and community lead at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, with children from Romero Catholic Academy.