Pupils at Lomond School in Helensburgh have received recognition in the Scottish Parliament for their Mary’s Meals campaign following a motion by MSP Maurice Corry.

The S3 Business Management class were congratulated on collecting almost 100 completed backpacks to donate to the charity.

This is the second year the class has run the campaign in association with their studies on the third sector.

The motion states: “Parliament congratulates Lomond School in Helensburgh on collecting almost 100 filled backpacks to donate to the charity, Mary’s Meals; understands that this campaign, which is in its second year, is run through the school’s S3 business management class; acknowledges the learning experience the students had by implementing theory from the classroom into practice; recognises their valuable contribution toward addressing child poverty, and wishes them much success in future projects.”

As this article was published the motion by the Conservatives’ Mr Corry, who lives in Helensburgh, had been signed by 19 of his Scottish Conservative MSP colleagues, along with seven from the SNP and one from the Scottish Labour Party.

Among the signatories are Helensburgh’s constituency MSP, Labour’s Jackie Baillie, along with several MSPs representing parts of the west of Scotland, including Stuart McMillan, Bill Kidd, Clare Adamson and Tom Arthur.

Karen Ferguson, teacher in charge of business and economics at Lomond, said: “The Mary’s Meals backpack campaign is an excellent project to participate in as it takes time and commitment from the whole class.

“The actual process lasts for a number of months and the pupils feel a great sense of achievement by the end.

“It really is about children helping children, and charity work is something we do a great deal of at Lomond.

“I am very proud of the pupils.

“There is a good deal of theory within the business management course, and it can be brought to life through active programs like Mary’s Meals.”

With the help of S5 pupils and donations from the whole school, they were able to donate almost 100 backpacks of food for children who desperately need them to be able to attend school and break the cycle of poverty they are in.

Pupils involved in the project said: “It has been hard work pulling the project together and creating the awareness but has really been worth it. It’s great to be able to practise what we are learning in a real life setting and be able to help others at the same time.

“We’ve really enjoyed helping to make the backpacks and we would love to see their faces when they open them.”

Since the Mary’s Meals Backpack Project began in 2005, more than 480,000 filled backpacks have been sent from supporters across the UK and Ireland to children receiving Mary’s Meals.

The annual appeal, supported by schools and young people’s groups all over Scotland, suggests donations of clothing for children aged between 4 and 12, school equipment such as notepads, pens, pencils, crayons, erasers, rulers and sharpeners, towels, sandals, and bathroom essentials such as soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Launched in 2002 as a result of the work of the Scottish International Relief charity in Malawi, Mary’s Meals works in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, providing nutritious daily meals in places of education to children who otherwise wouldn’t receive either food or tuition.

Both Mary’s Meals and SIR were founded by Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, from the Argyll village of Dalmally.