Press release: Consett School sends shoes to Kenya
For immediate release
Children at St Patrick’s Primary School in Consett have donated more than 60 pairs of shoes to children living in the Korogocho Slum in Nairobi, Kenya, after a special visit from the ‘Barefoot Runner’.
John McBride, 48, a council worker from Consett visited the school on Thursday 21st June the day after completing a leg of the Olympic Torch Relay at Barnard Castle in bare feet. John has finished the last four Great North Runs barefoot as a symbol of solidarity with impoverished children in Korogocho, for whom he raises money through the Catholic aid agency CAFOD.
John brought along the Torch he carried in Wednesday’s relay so that pupils at St Patrick’s could have a chance to hold it themselves. He spoke to the pupils about what life is like in Korogocho, and explained that he would be taking the Torch to Kenya to hang in the St John’s Sports Society, a gym in the slum which – thanks to funding from CAFOD – is free for under-16s.
Pupils at the school gave John the shoes and trainers to take with him to Korogocho, after collecting them in recent days. He set off for Kenya on Friday and will be presenting the Torch and the shoes to the children at the St John’s Sports Society on Sunday 24th June.
John said he was overwhelmed by the generosity of the children:
“When I take the Torch to Korogocho, it will stand there as a symbol of hope and I hope it will inspire the young people living in that Slum to chase their dreams of Olympic glory. But the shoes that the boys and girls at St Patrick’s have collected will do something much more important and meaningful: literally putting shoes on young children who currently walk to school and play in the street barefoot.
“The kids at St Patrick’s all wanted to hold the Torch, but they were more interested in knowing about Africa and what the kids were like in Korogocho. They wanted to know who was going to be wearing their shoes and what difference it would make to their lives.
“I love the Olympic Games because it’s about people from all over the world coming together in peace and unity, and in some small way, I think the kids at St Patrick’s giving up their shoes for children thousands of miles away is a wonderful celebration of that Olympic spirit.”
Head Teacher Pat Henson said:
“John has visited our school on a number of occasions to talk about the work he does on behalf of CAFOD. He showed us pictures of children from his trips to Africa. They clearly had very little but were still happy and smiling.
“Our students realise that they take a lot for granted and were inspired to donate the shoes and trainers they no longer wear – this is their way of doing
something positive. They really wanted to put some things they no longer need to good use. The children were really excited when John brought the Olympic Torch into the school - it was a once in a life-time opportunity for them.”
Notes for Editors:
1 . John has run the Great North Run for CAFOD for the last 15 years, and began running the last mile barefoot 4 years ago, after his first visit to Kenya. He is known locally as the ‘Barefoot Runner’ and was nominated by CAFOD to take part in the Torch Relay in recognition of his fundraising efforts and of the talks he gives in local schools and parishes about CAFOD’s work in Kenya.
2. CAFOD is the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development which works with communities across Africa, Asia and Latin America, working to fight poverty and injustice. The agency works with all people regardless of race, gender, religion or nationality.
3. For more information, footage and images, please contact Ellie Wilcock on: ewilcock@cafod.org.uk / 020 7095 5451
