Pupils hope to win hostel £3,000 (From Watford Observer)

Pupils from Rickmansworth School hope to win the GROW hostel in Watford £3,000

8:10am Wednesday 11th March 2009 in News By Michael Pickard

A homelessness hostel in Watford could win a £3,000 grant, following a visit from some school pupils.

GROW – Group for the Rootless of Watford – welcomed four Year 9 students from Rickmansworth School yesterday, where they met residents and had a tour of the house in Rickmansworth Road.

The teenagers - Becky White, Tom Riley, Anisa Asghar and George Hall – have chosen GROW for their Youth Philanthropy Initiative project, and will create a presentation about the charity.

If their presentation is chosen as the winner against others in their school year group, GROW will receive a £3,000 donation.

The project is part of the pupils' Citizenship classwork, led by Steve Fry, though Religious Studies teacher Rachel Stone accompanied them to GROW.

During their visit, the 13-year-old pupils met residents at the hostel and asked them questions about life living on the streets and finding new homes and employment.

George said: “We had to think of a charity we wanted to give money to. When we spoke to GROW we decided to do them.

“It looks like a home. I thought it would be a big place like a flat. It's really nice.”

Tom said: “I walked past before but I never thought of it like this place.”

Anisa added: “We thought if they got £3,000 it would make a really good change. It would be good for homeless people.”

GROW's secretary/manager David Jamieson, who is known as Jamie, said that if the pupils' presentation was successful, he would like to treat the residents to outings and meals.

“One thing I would really like to do is take them away for a week's holiday. That would be absolutely the pinnacle that we have never managed to do here. That would be fantastic.”