Tuesday 23 October 2012 Students and staff from the Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL) have gathered a bumper crop of over 2,500 harvest gifts to be donated to St George’s Crypt, a centre for the homeless in Leeds. Over a period of two weeks students and staff in Senior School have donated tins and dried food, as well as toiletries, for the harvest collection and have taken part in a friendly inter-house competition to see which house could bring in the most donations. Based at St George’s Church in Leeds, St George’s Crypt has been providing care and support for homeless, vulnerable and disadvantaged people for over eighty years, regardless of creed or race. Rev Steve Dye is Chaplain to St George’s Crypt, Bishop’s Chaplain for the Homeless in the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds and Director of Nurture, a project that trains people in catering work to prepare them to return to a fulfilling working life. Rev Steve led two assemblies in school and told the pupils how their gifts will be used. He said: “The people who come to us are just lost sheep who need help to find their way back. The donated food will help to keep the homeless alive this winter and the toiletries will help to restore their dignity.” Mrs Judith Kerr, the teacher who organised the collection with the help of the sixth form, said: “I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the school and I am delighted by the enthusiasm with which the students have taken part in it. We shall be sending 19 enormous crates of food and toiletries to St George’s Crypt and that is on top of the nine crates of gifts our junior school collected. Thank you to all who contributed.” General Senior School News
