Pupil, Matilda was nominated for the International Women's Day Competition, 2021 as an Inspirational Young Woman.

She came runner up in the competition and received a £50 gift voucher.

Some of the things she did to be nominated were:

Matilda individually raised money for North East Children's Cancer trust, Comic Relief and Children in Need.

After her brother had heart surgery at The Freeman hospital she raised money to help others who might need support from the charity CHUF, who provide play therapy and support for families at the unit.

After finding several hedgehogs in the local community and contacting a wildlife charity to look after them, she raided her savings and added that to some she raised and was able to give them £100 towards feeding and caring for future hogs.

Matilda has a lovely sense of community and loves being active, especially at the beach.  After a project at school made her more aware of waste and plastics on our shores, she helps with beach cleans and even has a litter picker of her own. 

During Lockdown #1 in March 2020, Matilda wanted to cheer her neighbours up, so she set about putting notes through the doors of surrounding houses to see if they would like to hear some music. With the help of her parents, one Sunday afternoon they played music requests from their neighbours  through big speakers, loud enough for them to enjoy safely from their own gardens. She walked around the block with her Mam to check everyone could hear and was happy. It was a great way to bring people together at such a tough time.