Friends of St. Mary's

We are an enthusiastic, supportive group of parents whose aim is to raise money for the school and other charitable causes.  As well as fundraising, the other aim of the Committee is to provide a social forum for those involved with St Mary's.  

We host regular events throughout the year including:          Cookery Demonstrations

                                                                                                             Cake sales

                                                                                                             Promises auction and curry night

                                                                                                             Christmas market

                                                                                                             Pot Luck lunches

This year to celebrate the Queen’s diamond jubilee, we shall be holding a jubilee fair instead of our usual summer fair. We are also trying new events such as the St Mary’s sausage sizzle on Bonfire night, where Chef will be serving home -made sausages. Other new events are being added to the calendar, which you will hear about through st marys mail.                                                                           

 The Friends year runs from January to January. The charity for the year is chosen by The Friends or nominated by the retiring Chair. This year our chosen charity will be The Stable Life Project where vulnerable children and young people learn life skills through the horse and its environment.  At the end of the year, we present a cheque to the charity at a school assembly. If there is a charity you would like to nominate, please contact the Committee.

We also support other charities through the year such as Macmillan, Comic Relief and local charities such as the building of a new palliative care unit for the Borders.

Each year, the staff of St Mary's have the opportunity to apply for items that they feel would benefit the majority of children and which perhaps fall outside the school budget.

Items which have been purchased for the school by the Friends include;

• Curtains for the Morrison Hall and Stage
• Picture frames in the Sanderson Building
• Sound System for  Music Department
• Lighting system for Drama Department
• Scrum Machine for Rugby Training
• Electric piano for the Morrison Hall
• Sausage machine and beef burger machine
• Equipment for the boarding house
• Puzzles and suchlike to support the academic curriculum

Meetings are usually held after drop off (8.30 am) in the Dining Room. You can also find details of our meetings and other information about us posted on our noticeboard in the Duffy passage.

Contact us: You can now contact us by email at friends@stmarysmelrose.org.uk

All parents are invited to join the Friends committee.  Alternatively many parents volunteer to help at specific events throughout the year.

The Friends rely on the whole school and community and are grateful for their continued support - without whom none of this would be possible.