Reflections on the 2024 Beach Walk
On Thursday 3rd October our entire school community took part in our 2024 Dominican College Beach Walk.
Beginning with our youngest pupils, each year group set off on the five mile walk to and from school to the Barmouth.
Our upper sixth pupils, taking part in the Beach Walk for the final time, helped to arrange the afternoon and walked side by side with staff and younger class groups.
The walk allowed pupils the chance to talk to older pupils and many new relationships will have been forged as we walked together in solidarity as a school community. Pupils and staff had a chance for a little bit of mindfulness in the midst of a busy term and to take a short well-earned break from tracking and assessment.
Our pupils realise that all those million plus steps ( and all those very happy faces) last week will also result in us raising much needed money for the four Dominican College charities we have chosen this year. We know that pupils will carry with them special memories of Thursday 3rd October and that they realise that it is one important way of translating our school ethos into action.
We would urge our entire school family to continued to do all they can to raise as much money as possible this year and we hope to announce a final sum before the half term break on October 25th.
Thank you all for all your efforts with this year’s Beach Walk.
Below are the four charities we will help this year.
We also enclose a gallery of photographs which help tell the story of the 2024 Beach Walk.
Break The Silence- Zachary Geddis
We are delighted this year to support this local charity working to support mental health and prevent suicide in local people. Zachary was a past pupil of Dominican College and his sister Yasmin, also a past pupil of the school expressed her great delight and pride that we have chosen this as one of our designated charities this year. Yasmin looks forward to returning to Dominican in the near future to share with us the vital work of the Break the Silence foundation.
Medical Detection Dogs
This charity trains dogs to support people with life-threatening health conditions, saving their lives on a daily basis and helping the NHS by keeping them out of hospital. Jade, the daughter of our VP Mrs Heaney, has received help from this charity very recently in the form of Jules, her medical detection dog who has enabled her to continue her studies at University in Surrey. Jade and Jules are delighted and send their heartfelt thanks for the nomination. Jade hopes to visit the school at Christmas with Jules to show our pupils just how much a difference their efforts can make. Medical Detection Dogs will be so grateful for the fund raising and it will be put to very good use.
https://www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/
Bubble Foundation
https://www.bubblefoundation.org.uk/
This is a national charity which helps save the lives of babies born with no immune system- Oscar, a current Year 10 pupil owes his life to this charity. Oscar took part in the Transplant Games this summer and we are delighted to be able to support this vital charity for the first time. Oscar’s mum Olivia has told us just how important the work of The Bubble Foundation is and we are really pleased that it is one of our official charities for the 2024-2025 school year.
Community Rescue Service
https://www.communityrescue.org/
This is a locally based charity which deals with Lowland rescue responding annually to more than 450 emergency incidents. More than 300 volunteers are involved with this charity- many of them with strong links to Dominican College.
Sean McCarry from CRS told us, “I am delighted to see my local school support this local charity which provides such a vital service both in our community and to the rest of NI. I am really proud to consider myself a Dominican parent- my son Christopher was very happy in the school and I am now an equally proud Dominican grandparent as my son Kevin’s daughter Cliodhna is now a year 9 pupil. I look forward to meeting the pupils and staff of DCP to let them know just how valuable their fundraising efforts will be. Good luck on your beach walk on October 3rd.”
