When George Gibson, a teaching assistant at South Street School in Hillfields in Coventry asked for donations to buy shoes for the poorest children in his school, he could never have known the lasting impact of this simple request.
What began 130 years ago became The Coventry Children’s Boot Fund www.childrensbootfund.org.uk The charity works with schools across the city who identify children and their families in need of help to buy well-fitting school shoes.
George set up the fund at a time when poverty was rife. He noticed some children didn’t even have a pair of shoes when they came to school. He set up a boot box on his desk and invited better off boys and visitors to contribute money to buy boots and warm clothing for those in need.
His legacy is still making a difference to children in Coventry today. We hear from those who give their time to run the fund and how it helped one city schoolboy change his life.
If you want to know more or can support the Coventry Children’s Boot Fund through an individual or corporate donation please go to www.childrensbootfund.org.uk
