turning concern into action
What Have the Mini Vinnies been doing?

The Mini Vinnie Group at St. Philips School in Middleton has recently taken part in a scheme to sponsor the education of children of disadvantaged families in India. £150 was raised from a raffle, enough to send 10 children to school for a whole year. At St. John the Baptist in Normanton the group initiated a Socfebruary. In February the young people organised the collection of socks to go to people in need. St. Theresa’s had a day where they paid one pound to wear their own clothes and £250 was raised and this was shared with ‘Simon on the Streets’ Charity and the SVP support centre on York Road. Immaculate Heart of Mary School continue to host a weekly coffee morning for people in the area who have Dementia and once a month they prepare a Mass and this celebration is carefully prepared to meet the Spiritual needs of those people with Dementia. Our Lady’s in Seacroft held a bun sale and their funds were sent to the Refugee Council , a leading charity working with refugees and helping them to rebuild their lives.



There is wonderful work happening in our Diocese, far too much to report in this article – there are now 59 schools commissioned as Mini Vinnie Schools and the numbers are increasing and before the end of the year all 79 of the Catholic primary schools in our Diocese will be commissioned. St. Clare’s in Bradford had a recent OFSTED inspection and the reporting inspector had this to say:

‘It was a delight to see how you have transformed the educational experience of pupils in your school particularly their Spiritual and Catholic life. The Mini Vinnie group have had such an influence on the vibrant prayer life of the school and the extensive work you do with the children on issues of Social Justice – you are creating our future Catholic leaders!

Mini Vinnies and the next steps:

The following schools will be commissioned this month: St. Mary’s, Knaresborough, St. Joseph’s, Pudsey, Sacred Heart, Hemsworth and St. Roberts, Harrogate.

In June a Mass will be celebrated in each Deanery of our Diocese in thanksgiving for these wonderful children and the dedication and kindness they show in helping and improving the life and wellbeing of all different groups of people, both at home and overseas.
I will continue to keep you all posted about the developments, events and progress of the Mini Vinnies in our Diocese.

Gaynor Markham