Ukraine conflict: Grangemouth's Bowhouse pupils walk to show solidarity with youngsters in war-torn country

Around 200 children will be walking from their school to The Helix to highlight the plight of those having to flee from the conflict and also fundraising to help them.

The idea came from two P7 girls, Amelia Johnston and Zoe Laing, both 11, and ten-year-old Harvey Edwards from P6.

They are members of the school’s United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child group and had been discussing the situation in Ukraine with classmates and teachers.

The pupils decided that they wanted to do something positive and with the help of Angela Gallagher, nurture and inclusion support assistant, have organised the walk which plans to leave the school shortly after 9am on Thursday, March 31.

Youngsters from P4 to P7 will be completing the walk, which is estimated to take around an hour, while pupils in the nursery and P1 to P3 will do a shorter walk around the Jupiter Wildlife Centre

They trio behind the plans are also going to make ribbons in the colours of the Ukrainian flag for everyone to wear on the walk and are organising sponsor sheets so they can raise money for charities helping the refugees.

Ms Gallagher said: “These children are very passionate about this and are taking their initiative forward with the school’s support.

"After seeing what was happening in Ukraine and the refugees arriving in Poland there was a lot of discussion about how the rights they have as children in Grangemouth and the rights taken away from the children of Ukraine.

"They really wanted to do something and that’s when they came up with the idea of doing a walk that everyone in the school can take part in and show solidarity with the children of Ukraine.”

The pupils are also collecting items to be sent to Poland to help those waiting at refugee camps.

Bowhouse pupils are hoping that when they arrive at the Helix people will contribute generously as they rattle their collecting buckets to give them more money for the refugees.

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