HCPT is a registered charity offering pilgrimage holidays to Lourdes in the south of France, for disabled and disadvantaged people from around the UK and further afield. Every Easter around 1,000 disabled and disadvantaged children enjoy a fun and safe week in Lourdes, staying in hotels with their volunteer helpers.
Each year, since 1992, students and staff from Salesian College have contributed towards the HCPT Easter Pilgrimage. Whilst in Lourdes, our primary duty is to support the groups in our region when they need extra helpers. We also act as support staff for the trust by running events and performing admin tasks, amongst other duties.
Throughout the year, we also run extra fundraising events to support some of our partner groups. One such event is the Alton Revue, a comedy evening which is produced by the year 12 students who are travelling to Lourdes each year.
Sean Devereux was a student at the College who was assassinated in Somalia in 1993, whilst engaged on a UNICEF food distribution programmme. He had spent his adult life teaching and supporting children, principally in Liberia, and he died continuing to help those in desperate need in civil-war striven Somalia.
His family set up the Sean Devereux Children's Fund (SDCF) to continue to support the education of children in Liberia, through Sponsorship programmes and fund-raising events. A number of events at the College raise money for the SDCF including the Year 7 Run for Sean, and the College's Quiz Night.
EDULIFE strives to give young people the access to education that will enable them to overcome their circumstances and achieve
their goals. EDULIFE is an independent, registered charity that began as a project supported by the college, and is still primarily run by former Salesian students and parents. Through a Sponsorship Programme, EDULIFE supports Zambian students at all levels of education, from primary through to university. The aim is to provide students not only with school fees, but also with the practical help that they need to continue their studies, realise their potential and make a positive impact in their country.
Started as a college project in Farnborough, SHARE has grown into a charity operating in the UK to raise money for aid and development work in Zambia.
SHARE aim to to develop young people who are articulate, informed and personally engaged ‘advocates’ for the developing world. Their advocates and supporters raise funds to help several essential projects in Zambia. Advocates have identified that for Zambia to be less dependent on foreign aid and support over the long term, they must get help to better enable their own skill sets. The key to this is education. Extreme poverty, lack of schools and teaching staff is tackled within SHARE on three current projects: Porridge Club, City of Joy, and Scholarship Programme.
'Pupils demonstrate an excellent an excellent social awareness of those less fortunate than themselves'
ISI Report 2022
Salesian College continues to be Excellent
Salesian College Farnborough is delighted to announce that the College continues to be graded ‘Excellent’ by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (equivalent to Ofsted ‘Outstanding’).
Mr Gerard Owens, Headmaster said, “I am overjoyed that the inspectors witnessed and reflected what we see every day: that Salesian College develops a family community where people matter most and whose outstanding levels of academic progress, sporting excellence, creative achievement and exemplary behaviour are facilitated by our compassionate and caring ethos.”
“We are extremely proud that the vision of St John Bosco continues to be recognised as excellent and that, as he himself said “…education is a matter of the heart”.
