In September 2021 a group of 56 third Year boys chose to volunteer on a Tonbridge Community Action project focussing on the current global refugee crisis and in particular the situation in Afghanistan.  Part of this project was a fundraising challenge, to cycle the equivalent of the 6,700 Km from Tonbridge to Kabul.  

Unfortunately, the current situation in Ukraine has changed the focus of this project.  The whole school community are therefore being asked to support this virtual cycling challenge, and our thoughts are very much with the unfolding situation in Ukraine.  

RefugEase are well placed to support those forced to leave their homes in Ukraine as they have been working on the ground in neighbouring Hungary since 2015.  They are already delivering life-giving aid support across the border into Ukraine.  Any support you can give to this campaign will be spent supporting refugees wherever RefugEase need it most.  

The project run by the third years looks to understand the complex issues behind the global refugee crisis and in particular the current situation in Europe. They have doing four activities to help with this:

1.  FUNDRAISING CHALLENGE: Collectively we are aiming to cycle the equivalent of the 6,700 Km from Tonbridge to Kabul.  During last term, the first group of boys  cycled half way,  c. 3,350 Km which took them to the virtual half-way point of Ankara, Turkey.  

2:  PRACTICAL HELP: We are also volunteering with the charity RefugEase  (www.refugease.com) to sort and pack donations to be sent to refugees overseas

3: WELCOMING FRIENDS: Working with Kent County Council, we welcome groups of unaccompanied asylum seeking children, who are housed by KCC to our site to play football and enjoy time together.  These boys, all aged 16-18years, have made it to the UK, with no adult with them, often leaving difficult situations and undertaking desperately difficult journeys

4: LEARNING: through talks and films, we are trying to understand, and have an empathic response, to the global situation.