A Sheffield charity, with a mission to inspire young people to live better by raising their aspirations for life, has had a major boost. Loadhog, the Sheffield-based returnable packaging manufacturer, has handed over £1,000 to Shine Live.

Over the last ten years, Shine Live has been helping secondary schools in South Yorkshire to develop and deliver, in exciting and relevant ways, their social, moral, spiritual and cultural (SMSC) education on which OFSTED is now placing increased importance. 

Established by Andy Rushworth, Shine Live addresses key topics such as bullying, self -esteem, peer pressure, relationships and decision-making through creative in-school lessons, tailored to schools’ programmes, lively after school gatherings and relevant clinics. In one day, the Shine Live team will typically see more than 1,000 pupils each school.

Professional musicians, theatre groups, trained sports teams and gifted communicators are all involved including live music from the band The Plan, led by Scott Lavery. 

Both Andy and Scott work full-time for Shine Live and, as the charity has no dedicated office space, use space at St Thomas’ Church in Crookes to work and hold live evening gigs. 

Lessons and assemblies promote themes of respect, community, citizenship and goodness, all of which are core values of the Christian faith and other mainline faiths.

Everything Shine Live offers is provided to the schools for a nominal fee, consequently there are significant costs to be met, such as van hire to get equipment to the schools. 

Andy said: “We are over the moon with Loadhog’s donation which will go towards our day-to-day running costs. It will help us to spread the word about what we do in inspiring young people to explore their feelings, the values they hold and their potential in making a positive difference in their homes, schools and communities.”