Church in Wales School given ‘Young Global Neighbours’ Award in Christian Aid’s Power of Hope Awards

Following Christian Aid’s special 80th anniversary service at Westminster Abbey on Thursday 12th June, volunteers from Wales attended The Power of Hope Awards tea and ceremony. The Power of Hope Awards were launched to mark Christian Aid’s anniversary to honour the dedication of its many supporters across the UK. St. Andrews Major Church in Wales Primary School, in Dinas Powys was awarded the Young Global Neighbours award and young learners Morgan and Tomas attended the Awards Ceremony at Church House to receive the award.

Over the past year, Morgan and Tomas have been part of the team of young tour guides at the Creative for Climate Justice Exhibition at the Senedd back in November, giving inspiring speeches to a large crowd of Members of the Senedd and the wider public. They also represented Wales at the UK-wide Creative For Climate Justice Exhibition in the Houses of Parliament in March. The school is now working towards becoming a Global Neighbours Cymru, an accreditation scheme of Christian Aid Cymru and Church in Wales to support, recognise and celebrate all that primary schools in Wales are doing to provide good global education and equip young people to become active global citizens.

Mr Ryan Trigg, who has led on the Creative for Climate Justice initiative at the school and who attended the service and award in Westminster said, “This award is not just a trophy or a title. It’s a symbol – of resilience, of unity, and of belief in the power of possibility and hope. It recognises that our voices are heard every day, beyond our classroom and beyond our school.”

Headteacher, Jo Bayliss also attended the awards and said on behalf of the school: “We are deeply grateful to receive The Power of Hope Award—a truly proud moment for our learners and staff. Through the Creative for Climate Justice project, our learners used art, literacy, and digital imagery to explore and express their concerns about the climate crisis. They shared their powerful work not only within our school but also at the Senedd and the Houses of Parliament.

“We were especially proud of Morgan and Tomas, who spoke with clarity, courage, and hope on behalf of young people in Wales when they represented our school in London. Their leadership truly captures the spirit of our whole school community.

“At St Andrew’s Major Church in Wales Primary School, we are always proud to stand alongside Christian Aid. This partnership is deeply rooted in our school’s values of compassion, global citizenship, and faith in action.

“For us, it’s about more than giving—it’s about learning, growing in understanding, and being part of something bigger than ourselves. Working with Christian Aid allows our whole school community to live out our beliefs in real and meaningful ways, helping to build a fairer and more hopeful world for everyone.”

Revd Mary Stallard, Bishop of Llandaff said, “What a fantastic moment for Morgan and Tomas and St Andrew’s Major Primary school! This award is a huge testament to all that the learners and teaching staff are doing to tackle the injustice of global poverty in the life of the school, but it’s also so much more than that. This award is a reflection of what is happening in so many of our schools across the Llandaff Diocese and the wider Province of the Church in Wales.

For 80 years, Christian Aid work has been a beacon of hope in the fight against poverty and injustice in our world. 80 years on, it’s fantastic to have been at Westminster Abbey with so many from Wales, including St Andrew’s Major, Llandaff City and Wick & Marcoss Primary Schools. We joined with thousands of others from across Britain and Ireland in this special moment of reflection and recommitment to the ongoing work of putting faith into action and offering hope to communities who need it most.”