Youngsters at a Cumbrian school have completed over 300 acts of kindness over the summer.
And pupils at Hunter Hall, Cumbria’s only independent primary school, celebrated the close of their Summer of Kindness in blooming marvellous style.
Children worked with fellow pupils at the Penrith school and rising stars of social media, the Four Little Farm Boys, to pick, wrap and present bunches of homegrown sunflowers to their families.
Since May, Hunter Hall children have completed over 300 acts of kindness; from school-wide litter picks to presenting cupcakes donated by a local business for afternoon tea to local mountain rescue teams; from spreading ‘kindness pebbles’ around the country to creating ‘kindness cards’ and reading to hospital patients over Zoom – the list is long and varied.
And the random acts didn’t stop at the school gate.
Each of the lower school children aged between three and seven completed a Kindness Passport – recording kind deeds they undertook at home and in their own local community; precious birthday cake handed out to unsuspecting neighbours, lost property returned, grandparents’ gardens weeded and even breakfast in bed featuring freshly collected eggs for hard-working parents – the children proved themselves inventive, resourceful and extremely kind in their endeavours.
The school was inspired with their Summer of Kindness by the Four Little Farm Boys, who attend the school.
Thomas, eight, Sebastian, seven, Jacob, five and Henry, three, have undertaken well over 1,000 random acts of kindness over the last 18 months – throughout lockdowns, home schooling and actual school.
Initially mum, Amy, simply wanted to stay connected to friends and family both near and far by doing something nice for them – despite travel bans and social distancing.
However the family’s efforts led Hunter Hall to create a Lower School-wide Summer of Kindness.
The summer kicked off in May with a huge sunflower planting session at the Four Little Farm Boys’ family farm near Carlisle.
Children helped to plant 20kg of sunflower seeds in a 300m long strip ready to harvest and ‘pass on’ as final acts of kindness this month to mark the end of all their hard work and endeavours.
Headteacher, Donna Vinsome said: “What a wonderful experience this has been for all involved.
“Our fabulous Four Little Farm Boys have really helped bring alive the spirit of kindness throughout the school.
“It’s been an absolute privilege and delight watching our pupils work together to find ways of bringing joy to both loved ones and new faces over the summer.”
While the official Summer of Kindness is coming to a close, Donna and her team hope that the collective experiences, lessons learned, and spirit of kindness continues and flourishes for years to come.
