Schools join together for Trust-wide carol concert
Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust held a Trust-wide carol service, which has been hailed a huge success. The service, featuring a choir and orchestra of pupil representatives from across the whole region. The trust has 30 schools across Sunderland, South Tyneside and East Durham.
Christmas Celebration
The service, at St Bede’s RC Church in South Shields, provided an excellent opportunity for staff, pupils and their families, as well as local communities across the Trust to prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It included a mixture of pupils reading from the gospel and singing hymns and carols.
Sienna Thompson, a year five pupil from St. Matthew’s Catholic Primary School in Jarrow, said:
“It’s been fun to be part of the carol service. It’s nice to meet pupils from other schools. We have really improved since our first rehearsal and I was excited for my parents to see.”
Liz Boylan, the lead chaplain at Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, described the event as “quite something”. She said “it was absolutely amazing,” noting:
“When you think we brought all those schools together, who don’t normally sing together and for them to perform so beautifully – it was just brilliant. The students all went away with big smiles on their faces, as did the parents and staff and it was just a lovely occasion.”
Liz is already planning for next year’s event – although there will be several more nativity plays and carol concerts for her to attend this year, before the Trust’s schools break up on December 23. She added:
“After the first Trust-wide carol concert, we want to keep the momentum going, as it’s really nice seeing the students and staff mix with people from different schools, that they wouldn’t ordinarily mix with. The staff love coming together and really enjoy it – it makes them feel like part of a family.”
Bishop Chadwick Catholic Trust is a Schools North East Partner Trust. If you’d like to find out more about our Partner School Programme click here: https://schoolsnortheast.org/partner-school/
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