Working for peace at St Richard's

On Friday they marked World Peace Day by holding an awareness-building event under the theme Combating Poverty; Building Peace.

Youngsters gave over their lunchtime to supporting fair trade, signing petitions for peace, raising funds for Pax Christi, sending red hand prints to the United Nations as part of a worldwide campaign, and finding out about charity websites such as freerice.com.

Lay Chaplain Angela Brennan said: "What we are doing here today is supporting Pax Christi, which is the International Catholic Movement for Peace.

"The children are finding ways they can get involved in combatting poverty and building peace.

"What we have here are different ways the children can get involved. It is about encouraging this generation of children to work for justice and peace.

"As a Catholic school this is very important to us, and I certainly think that they have an awareness of justice. This is about getting actively involved - they feel they are making a difference."

Helping set up the fair trade stall were Jasmine Topliss, Ana Groom, and Sophie Trouse.

Jasmine, 13, commented: "I think this is good because you know it is safely made - and it tastes nice as well."

Ana, 12, added: "If more people buy fair trade there will be more of it, and then you will know all the food is good and comes from good places."

They were also helping display information about Onederful, a unique

bottled water project which funds roundabout pumps in Africa to provide fresh clean water. Pupils signed a petition asking Bexhill supermarkets to stock One water so that it would be more readily available to buy throughout the town.

Sophie,12, said: "It is worthwhile."

Head of RE Pete Byrne said: "World Peace Day is a time when the church really focusses on peace, and this year the Pope has given the message that peace will only be found by combatting poverty, which is what we are trying to do here today.

"This is about getting the kids to have a clear understanding that there will only be peace when there is equality and we remove people from poverty...it is about getting an understanding that much of the world is not like it is in Bexhill, and many of the rights we take for granted, like clean water, are beyond the wildest dreams of many other people."