Once again this year, the academy is hosting a Boxing Day brunch for the full Mansfield community after the success of our inaugural event last year.

We will be opening our doors to the public between 11am to 2pm on 26 December 2018 and invite anyone from the local community to join us for free food, great company and festive entertainment. All children will also have the chance to meet a very special guest and will receive a gift for free.

Over 50 students, staff, and members of the local community have volunteered to give up their own time to be on hand to serve guests and to join them in the festive celebrations.

Helena Brothwell, principal, says; ‘We were delighted to put on this event last year. We were blown away by the number of visitors we had with over 140 guests including many of the homeless people in the town, elderly guests and families of our students. We hope to exceed that in 2018 and continue to give something back to our local community – we know that the festive period can be tough on individuals and groups of people who maybe cannot be with their own family and friends at this time, so opening the academy to provide food and friendship is so important to us.

It is also vital for our students to understand the importance of charity – it aligns with our Christian values here at the academy, and we embed strong morals and ethics amongst all children who attend Queen Elizabeth’s.’

The event is being supported by a number of local businesses, including Tool Hire Express in Mansfield, part of the Ashtead Group, who have made a significant donation towards the cost of food and gifts. If any other company would like to donate or volunteer to support the event, please contact Miss Brothwell via email at hbrothwell@queenelizabeths-ac.org.uk