AN ENTIRE school has taken a stand against poverty.

About 1,200 pupils at St Joseph’s Catholic College stood up against poverty last Friday morning.

Their pledge was part of an international campaign – Stand Up Against Poverty, which sees more than a million people taking part every year.

St Joseph’s Catholic College lay chaplain Julia Starczewski said: “There was a great atmosphere. Everyone, including staff, said the promises. It meant a lot to us. It was about creating awareness in a simple way and everybody knew about it.

“We had tremendous support from headteacher Maureen Harries.

“We are very connected with the developing world. Although we have poverty in our country – we need to put it into perspective. But we have choices about how we live – people in the developing world don’t.”

St Joseph’s College has been involved in projects helping communities in Africa and India.

While pupils stood up, a presentation of photographs was shown on projectors.