St Augustine's Children Set Off on Carol Singing Marathon

---

10 year-old Marco leads pupils raising their voices to help fight against ebola

Year 6 pupils from St Augustine's Primary School will set off on Saturday on a round-the-streets carol singing marathon to raise money to fight the ebola virus in west Africa.

The marathon will start at 11am at the school gates in Disbrowe Road before making their way to St Augustine’s church in Fulham Palace Road, near the Hammersmith flyover.

They will complete their five-hour singing marathon in King Street, Hammersmith, at 4pm, wearing Santa hats and red noses.

The fundraiser is the idea of Year 6 St Augustine’s pupil Marco Pasaron-Maraviglia, 10, who wanted to do something to help the war on ebola after seeing the plight of African children on television.

Marco, who lives across the road from Charing Cross Hospital, told his mum Julia that he would do a bicycle marathon after watching the BBC Panorama programme about the virus which has already claimed 7,000 lives.

" I told him that it wasn’t the right time of year to do a bicycle marathon, so he decided to do carol-singing instead, as he used to be in the school choir," she says.

Money raised from the effort will go to the Medecins Sans Frontieres medical aid charity.

Two songs with very different anniversary associations will predominate. Silent Night is being sung to remember the centenary of the start of the First World War, while Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer remains one of the country’s most popular festive songs, 75 years after it was written.

" I’m very proud of Marco and his friends," says Julia, adding: " Normally he’s very naughty at school!"

The 15 carol singers, 15 in total, all aged between eight and 11, aim to raise £2,000 by raising their voices. Donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/Julia-Pasaron-Ayuso.

 

December 12, 2014