Six schools in Lurgan, Portadown, Markethill and Tandragee raise significant funding via charities challenge by Ulster Carpets

Clounagh Junior High School in Portadown and Lurgan Junior High School shared the top amount, with each school presented with a cheque of £2,500 for FND Matters and Reach Mentoring.

St John the Baptist in Portadown Tandragee Junior High School, Markethill High School, and St Ronan’s College in Lurgan all secured £500 each for their charities – PIPS Suicide Prevention Ireland, B Positive, The Trussell Trust/Armagh Food Bank, and MNDANI (Motor Neurone Disease Association Northern Ireland).

The School Charity Challenge was organised by The John Wilson Memorial Trust, which was set up in memory of the late John Wilson, son of Ulster Carpets founder, George Walter Wilson, and is dedicated to supporting local community projects. Each school put forward a team who carried out a research project before making a presentation to four of the Trustees outlining why their charity should receive funding and how the charity would benefit.

“Our inaugural event was a huge success and this year we expanded the challenge by inviting more local schools to take part,” explained Dr John Wilson, Chairman of Ulster Carpets and Trustee of the John Wilson Memorial Trust,. “All of the presentations were of a very high standard and it is clear that the students understood the difference charities can make in our communities.

“All the students who participated should be very proud of the way they advocated for their charity. We are delighted that so many local charities will now benefit from their hard work.”