At Sacred Heart Primary School in Derry, the corner of a classroom has been transformed into a First Holy Communion boutique.
The clothes are displayed on rails – one for the dresses, the other for suits – with shoes lined up in pairs below, and bags, gloves and other accessories neatly arranged on a nearby table.
On the wall is a poster welcoming pupils and parents, and the space around it has been decorated with a chair, cushions and even a mirror garlanded with flowers.
This is Sacred Heart’s pop-up Communion wear shop, a new initiative to help parents struggling with the cost of living.
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“A lot of things are getting really expensive now and people might be saving money to buy their children food and they don’t have enough to buy Communion dresses or suits and if they did, they would have no money left,” says 10-year-old Erin-Rose Shiels.
Stocked by donations from parents and free to use, the pop-up shop is unmanned, so families can come and take what they need privately while still seeking to give the pupils the full experience of Communion shopping.
Erin-Rose and her classmates on the Student Council, as well as the school’s pastoral care team, have been helping with the pop-up shop and have been instrumental in other initiatives such as a winter coat swop shop and providing “Toast Time” for pupils three mornings a week.
“We propose ideas to help the school and the community,” says Tony Kirby. He and the other members of the Student Council have already made their First Holy Communion and explain how their own experiences have encouraged them to help younger pupils, and their families, who are getting ready this year. “After all, you only get to experience your Communion once,” says Tony.
“I loved it, it was very special,” says Rhainá Deane. My dress was made by my granny, she’s a dressmaker, it had lovely wee chains and things on it.”
“My Communion was really important for me, especially going out with all my family,” says Odhran McCallion. “But some families don’t have the money because dresses and suits are really expensive and they might not be able to afford money for food.”
This is where the pop-up shop comes in. Classroom assistant Bronagh Oakley’s daughter Holly is among those making their First Holy Communion this year.
“We’ve got the dress and everything sorted and she’s so excited,” says Bronagh. “I didn’t go out and buy it straight away, it was paid up for, but I’m lucky enough that I do have a job to be able to do that, but not everybody can.
“Years ago, when I would have been at school, it was all kind of hidden, there was a sort of shame to it, but now because so many more people are struggling ... it’s nothing to be ashamed of any more.”
Also preparing for his First Holy Communion is eight-year-old Paul Doherty. “It’s the 20th of May. I want to do a reading,” he says. “I’m wearing a suit, it’s grey and pinkish.”
His mother Jacqueline Doherty is also a classroom assistant and has seen first-hand the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on local families. She says she always keeps a packet of biscuits in her classroom so no child ever has to go without at breaktime.
In the Top of the Hill area of Derry’s Waterside, Sacred Heart is one of the city’s larger primary schools, with about 460 pupils. Many of them come from areas that are classed as socially deprived, with about 40 per cent of students eligible for free school meals.
“We have seen a big rise in the social and emotional wellbeing needs of our children since Covid, and now it’s the cost-of-living crisis,” says vice principal Alisha Gilmore.
“It’s children whose uniforms aren’t clean, their homeworks aren’t done, no break, no lunch, coming in late, getting collected late, absenteeism,” adds primary one teacher and pastoral care co-ordinator Áine Deane.
This is the first year they have run the Communion pop-up, spurred on by the success of their winter coat swop shop. “Because it was unmanned, the only way we could measure it was to count the empty hangers,” says Ms Deane. “Suddenly there were 37 hangers gone, and then 50.”
Last month, members of four teaching unions – including staff at Sacred Heart – took part in a half-day strike over pay. With schools facing further cuts to the education budget, Sacred Heart has turned to donations from the local community. They have also worked with the Foyle Foodbank, Lidl and The Range.
“I was so surprised that the big companies wanted to take on our wee school,” says Ms Deane. “Charity does begin at home so if we don’t look after what’s going on on our doorstep, then there’s no chance.
“How do you measure the success for children’s wellbeing or emotional health, there’s no data for that, but we can see it’s as if their shoulders are coming down ... they’re confident that when they come to school, they will have a breakfast.”
“You can see it in their wee faces, they’re standing taller, they’re more independent and confident, so you can see it is worth it.”
