‘Mini Vinnies’ is the junior branch of the St Vincent De Paul Society (SVP) - a long-established Catholic charity with the aim of supporting those in need.

Mini Vinnies are children aged between 7 to 11 (or younger) who are encouraged to embark on their first steps as possible ‘Vincentians for life’. 

Mini Vinnies turn concern into action by:

• Making cards for those who may be sick, isolated or lonely.

• Creating arts and crafts to share with others

• Running food collections for a local food bank

• Fundraising for the SVP and other charities

• Supporting Mary’s Meals

• Holding cake sales to support Willowbrook Hospice

• Delivering Assemblies for our school on The Jubilee Year of Hope.

• Recycling unwanted clothing for local charities

As Mini Vinnies, the children have their own ‘treasured’ Prayer, Pledge and Badge, a dedicated website and a range of bright and colourful documents which guide them in their formative steps – helping and enabling them to become in every sense,  ‘Mini Vinnies’.

Click the link to listen to the 'Mini Vinnies' song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhB_498oRNY

Mini Vinnies Website – see what it’s all about

Faith In Action

At St Julie's we have participated in Faith In Action for many years. The award allows school and the Church to celebrate, recognize and reward all that our children already give to the Church but it also challenges them to deepen their relationship with God and change the world in which they live.The award is aimed at children in Y6.There are four different levels of award: Pin (KS2), Bronze, Silver and Gold. For this reason it has been described as a ‘Catholic Duke of Edinburgh’

Throughout Y6, pupils are given the opportunity to reflect on their faith journey and the opportunities they have had to live their faith. The end of the programme has culminated in a retreat at Lowe House.

In previous years pupils have:

'Buddied' Reception children, supporting them during church events and in school

Worked as altar servers

Worked as class, 'Worship Welcomers'

Prepared celebration events for grandparents/ elderly in our community

Helped to prepare masses

Supported Harvest festival preparations

Contributed to a wide range of fundraising activities

CAFOD

We actively support CAFOD, it is the official Catholic aid agency for England and Wales. They work with partners across the world, wherever the need is. It is greater to bring hope and compassion to poor communities, standing side by side with them to end poverty and injustice. CAFOD volunteers visit school to deliver assemblies, sharing new campaigns with us. We watch the national assemblies and actively support all their new initiatives helping to make the world a better place for all our global brothers and sisters.

Mary’s Meals   

We are working to achieve our Mary’s Meals school accreditation, we will be holding a sponsored run in June, hosting a spooky porridge day to support World Porridge Day and during Lent, we will be making biscuits and selling them to ‘raise some dough’ for Mary’s Meals.

We support the work that Mary’s Meals does around the world, it is a movement that will not accept that a child should go hungry in the world of plenty. They serve nutritious meals in some of the world’s poorest countries. They provide school meals, meeting the needs of hungry children whilst encouraging them to gain an education. We actively collect pennies to pay for these meals, 8p feeds a child each day