Musical efforts to fund overseas trip

Pupils are raising money for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Central America where they will carry out humanitarian and environmental work.

Almost 40 pupils from Minster School, Southwell, will spend four weeks in Costa Rica and Nicaragua in July and August next year.

Among them are Tallulah Hoines-White, 15, and Tasmin Jones, 16, who are organising an evening of music at the school tonight to help raise money for their trip.

Tallulah, of Southwell, and Tasmin, of Farnsfield, are talented musicians who regularly perform at the school. They are teaming up with 12 other performers at tonight’s show.

Tallulah will sing Don’t Look Back In Anger, by Oasis, and Tasmin will sing and play the piano.

Each pupil needs to raise £4,000 to help pay for the trip. Almost half will go to the projects they will be supporting.

The trip is being organised by Camps International and was offered to all pupils in year 11.

The pupils will spend two weeks in Costa Rica working on a humanitarian project and two weeks in Nicaragua on an environmental project.

Tallulah has taken on a part-time job at a sweet shop and has organised other events to help raise money.

She said: “I have always been interested in humanitarian work.

“When I used to watch Children In Need I always wanted to go to these places and help out.”

'I am looking forward to helping people'

As well as helping to organise the concert, Tasmin has taken on a part-time job with Farnsfield Parish Council and is planning to sell bath bombs at Christmas to help raise money.

She said: “I am looking forward to helping people. It is may be something I want to go into when I am older so it will give me an insight into what it is like.

“I would like to help people in need who are less fortunate and it gives you a bit of an insight into how you are as a person.

“It feels great because it feels like you are making a difference to someone’s life who isn’t necessarily in a position to help themselves.

“The concert will be fun because we have got a great group of people who we are all friends with so it should be a really fun night.”

Mrs Hannah Wallis-Windle, director of music, went to Borneo last year on a trip also organised by Camps International.

She said: “It is an amazing opportunity, a real once-in-a-lifetime trip.

“Tasmin and Tallulah have done a great job organising the concert and the music department is pleased to be supporting them.”

Mrs Wallis-Windle said pupils going to Central America would benefit from organising their own fundraising and the preparation involved.

“Having been to Borneo and having an experience like that, it is a real eye-opener seeing how different cultures work,” she said.

“They work hard to support the people out there and to learn about the conservation projects they are helping.”