M&S Money in Chester funds schools’ outward bound week

Jul 22 2010 by Naomi Dunning, Chester Chronicle

A CHESTER bank was able to get some city school children out and about.

M&S Money on Chester Business Park jointly funded the Adventure Challenge Expedition (ACE) with HSBC to give local children the opportunity to benefit from an outward bound challenge they may never otherwise have experienced .

The ACE Project was the vision of Nigel Davis, HSBC Regional Director North West.

In 2008 HSBC North West region worked with 45 children from three inner-city schools in Liverpool. In 2009 M&S Money was invited to jointly fund a second project, and provided £9,000 towards it.

As a result, 30 children from the Academy Ellesmere Port and Bishops Bluecoat School Chester, and 15 from Litherland High School Liverpool all took part in the adventure.

A total of six mentors from M&S Money and HSBC, plus four teachers and 45 Year 8 students spent a very cold and snowy weekend in Aberdovey in November 2009, where the students were challenged to complete tasks which were very much outside their comfort zones.

Following the weekend, teachers and mentors selected 30 of the original 45 students to come back in February to take part in a full week of activity at Ullswater.

Now M&S Money have invited the children and teachers to Chester Business Park for a presentation event where the students were given awards and personal letters to celebrate the outward bound weeks.