Thurston CE Primary Academy near Bury St Edmunds creates harvest-themed picture out of items headed for Gatehouse foodbank

Children have turned harvest donations into a colourful picture.

Pupils at Thurston CE Primary Academy in Thurston, near Bury St Edmunds, used the items donated by parents to create an apple tree over the course of October 4, before the donations were then collected by the Gatehouse charity.

Amanda Wigzell, deputy headteacher, said they were ‘really thrilled’ with the generosity shown by the families of the school, adding they were always incredibly humbled by the support their families show for these community events.

Last year, the harvest-themed picture was a tractor and the year before it was a rainbow.

Mrs Wigzell said: “As a school over the last three years we have asked parents to donate items, not just food, for our annual collect for Gatehouse.

“We allocate different colours of items for each class which allows us to then put the items together to create a harvest-themed picture. This year we asked for donations in brown, green, red, blue and yellow to create our apple tree picture.

“We encourage families to shop together for the items to ensure the children understand the reasons behind creating the picture, that this is more than a fun harvest activity for us but a way to support those who are less fortunate than us.”

She said they focus on a different Christian value each half term and this half term's value of 'generosity' fits very well with this event.

She added: “Gatehouse has been the charity we have supported with our harvest event for the last three years as we know of the incredible work they do in the community providing a foodbank for an increasing number of families, something that far too many families are having to rely on in these current times.

“Amanda, at Gatehouse, always works closely with us to let our families know which items are most needed to be donated and how the items are used to support the work they do.”