These awards are a version of the Bishop's Badge awards that were extended to Church Schools to mark the 90th anniversary of the diocese. Schools were invited to nominate the child in their school who they feel best embodies the Diocesan Church School value of the Year, community, in an age-appropriate way.
Nineteen individuals were nominated for a Bishop’s Badge from fifteen different church schools.
>> Pictures from the award presentation at Derby Cathedral (on Flickr)
>> Pictures from the award presentation at St John's Tideswell (on Flickr)
Several children were nominated for their work raising funds for charity – Rosie baked and sold cakes to buy mosquito nets, Joshua and Lily raised money to support two different linked slum schools in Kolkata, Maiya supports Sheffield Hospital Charities, Esme helped fund the rescuing of rabbits while Ryan supported the work of the Stroke Association after his Grandma died and Daisy and Tyler both support the Red Cross shop in Matlock to make people smile.
Helping other children fit into school and make friends and giving up their playtime to help and support other children and staff were the reasons Tillie, Liam, Millie, Rufus, Matthew, Riley and Lily Rose were put forward for an award.
Lauren and Ruby were chosen because of their talent in spotting, naming, encouraging and nominating for awards other children who embody the school’s values.
Ruby volunteers with Derbyshire Volunteer Police Cadets, in residential homes and at a Christmas soup lunch. Katie used her first aid skills to save her Grandma’s life when she was choking at a restaurant.
Rosie and Corey are involved in waste recycling projects and litter picking and Amelie brings beauty to the community through the school gardening club and flower festivals .
These awards were presented by Bishop Alastair at a special celebration at Derby Cathedral and by Bishop Jan at St John's Tideswell at services planned and led by children from Longford C of E Primary School at the Cathedral and Bishop Pursglove C of E Primary School in Tideswell.
Bishop's Badge School awards in Tideswell
Both schools planned very imaginative and creative worship using various media and resources including a live fig tree, golden magic pennies, a values quiz, large paper people, action prayers and songs and even a Tibetan prayer bowl to help us explore the theme of Christian community in our worship.
Alongside the awards for individuals, six separate projects received awards. Bishop Pursglove C of E Primary School had been doing some joint partnership work with a local residential home including the children sharing work about WW2 in the residential home and the elderly people visiting school for an art exhibition.
Darley Churchtown C of E Primary School have also been working with the elderly, sharing artwork, crafts and music with dementia patients in their Ringing the Changes Project through the auspices of First Taste Charity as well as running a community café to raise funds for their local church.
Newbold C of E School have formed their own Early help Team to offer family support to all these needing support along the lines of play therapy, emotional literacy, pet therapy and access to the Foodbank. St Luke’s C of E Primary School have been giving posies of flowers and gratitude messages to members of the community they consider to be unsung heroes.
Carsington and Hopton C of E primary School have been raising funds to buy resources and uniforms for their link school in Kolkata and one of their teachers Mrs Tinkler has written a phonics teaching manual which fifteen of the schools in Kolkata are now using each day.
Following the success of these new awards, we shall be inviting awards for next year for children and projects embodying the Diocesan Church School value of hope.
When the Diocese of Derby was founded in 1927, Bishop Edmund Courtenay Pearce – the first Bishop of Derby – arranged for a medal to be struck and copies presented to distinguished members of the Diocese and to all those being confirmed in that year.
In more recent years, Bishop Alastair arranged for a replica of this medal to be minted and mounted in the form of a badge to be awarded to lay people across the diocese each year to acknowledge outstanding service to the mission and ministry of the church.
To mark the 90th Anniversary of the Diocese of Derby, these awards were extended to Church Schools who were invited to nominate the child in their school who they feel best embodies the Diocesan Church School value of the Year, community, in an age-appropriate way.
There was also a category for projects where schools were creating and building community and these projects were awarded a Certificate of Excellence.
