School rallies to help quake victims

YOUNGSTERS at a Derby primary school have been recreating Haitian art and raising money for survivors of the earthquake.

Pupils from Nightingale Junior School held a Caribbean afternoon and bought in spare change from home, collecting £300 for the Derby Telegraph's Give Water, Give Life campaign.

SPARE PENNIES: Nightingale pupils have raised more than £300. From left, Joshua Webster, 10, Lauren Davies, eight, Andie Reed, eight, Liam Davies, 10, Taylor Thomas, 10, Bradley Bromley, seven, and Peter Webster, nine.

The appeal, which has so far raised more than £100,000, was launched to help the Aquabox charity, which has sent 800 of its life-saving water purification kits to Haiti.

It is hoping to send another batch of Aquaboxes, which also contain essential welfare items such as tools and cooking pots, to the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, in coming weeks.

Ceri Hammond, head teacher at the school in Nightingale Road, said the children had been working hard reproducing Haitian art, known for its bright colours.

They have also produced a mural in the school hall based on the work of Haitian artist Magda Magloire.

She started her career as a painter in the early 90s with the encouragement of the founder of an art school, Jean Claude Garoute.

Ms Hammond said: "We held a Caribbean afternoon at the school on Friday and the children very generously donated spare pennies from home.

"Nightingale is in one of the most disadvantaged parts of the city and we are very proud that the children and families have been so generous in their donations."

The earthquake, on January 12, killed 150,000 people and left a million more homeless.

The Haitian art world also suffered great losses, with museums and art galleries extensively damaged.

Among them was Port-au-Prince's main art museum, Centre d'Art, where many exhibits were destroyed. The collection at College Saint Pierre was also devastated, as was the collection of priceless murals in the Holy Trinity Cathedral.

The Give Water, Give Life campaign has now raised more than £100,000.

A shipment of 618 Aquaboxes left the charity's depot in Cromford on Thursday. They are due to arrive in Haiti in the coming days.

The batch followed one of 200 sent to the country in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.

They are now helping those whose survived the devastation. The Aquabox charity is a project of Rotary International but is run and managed by the Rotary Club of Wirksworth.