Spreading Kindness This Christmas
Friday, 19th December 2025
Christmas is a time to think about others, especially those who might be going through hard times. In recent weeks, our staff, students, and wider community have worked together to carry out a range of initiatives, and as a school community, we are so proud of what we have achieved.
This year, we put together and decorated 112 ‘Dignity Bags’ for homeless people, which will be distributed through Homeless Aid UK at their street kitchens in Bolton.
Sital Raja from Homeless Aid UK, who came to collect the bags, commented: "This project has been organised for the past four years and is one close to my heart. Each bag, brimming with donations from the school children, was beautifully decorated and filled with goodies to be handed out at the Street Kitchen. Harper Green School always looks after our homeless friends every Christmas, and Homeless Aid UK would like to say a massive thank you to each and every person involved."
Another highlight was our Giving at Advent campaign, where we decided to focus on giving, not receiving. Staff made donations to local foodbanks, continuing the work we started back in October with our Harvest collection, which provided sufficient food for 768 meals. We also supported Urban Outreach’s "Christmas on Jesus Campaign," donating bins of custard to be included in hampers for families across Bolton.
We continued our Secret Santa Gift Donation initiative, where staff and parents were invited to donate gifts so that students have the opportunity to choose and wrap presents for themselves and their families. For many of our students, this is the first time they’ve had the chance to give a gift, and seeing their joy and pride was really special.
We delivered more than 50 food hampers, generously donated by Crescent Foodbank, to families in our school community who might struggle over Christmas. And finally, a group of Year 7 and 8 students went to Royal Bolton Hospital to sing carols for patients and staff. It was a very moving experience, and many people were moved to tears by the singing.
Mrs Holmes Patel said: “At Harper Green, kindness is at the heart of everything we do, and Christmas is no different. These acts of giving, big and small, remind us of the power of kindness. I’m so proud of our students, staff, and everyone in our community, and I feel lucky to be part of a school that truly understands what Christmas is about. It’s a privilege to see our students’ helping others.”
Let’s keep spreading kindness and hope, not just at Christmas, but all year round. A big thank you to everyone who helped make all this possible.