Prize winners have been drawn in a raffle which was the final event of a fund-raising campaign by Flintshire Optec Japanese Youth Exchange students.
The fundraising campaign started in March when the earthquake and tsunami devastated areas very near to the youth exchange towns of Murata, Kawasaki and Zao in Miyagi Prefecture.
Flintshire students have been visiting this area and Japanese students have travelled from there to see us for 27 years. The scheme has forged unique links with Japan offering young people from the two countries the opportunity to exchange ideas and learn about each other’s way of life and culture.
Even though the 2011 exchange was cancelled, causing great disappointment to Flintshire students, their thoughts were with the Japanese people, as were the thoughts of past exchange students and the Trustees of the exchange. Fundraising activities have included collecting money on Mold market, a sponsored sky dive, a student-teacher football match, cake bakes, a race-night and the raffle. In response to this fundraising, the Trustees also decided to donate £1,000.
Colin Everett, Flintshire County Council’s Chief Executive announced that the total amount of money raised was £4,457.84. The Chairman of the Council, Councillor Hilary McGuill, congratulated the fundraisers on their efforts and chose the winning tickets for fourteen prizes, including a 32 inch HD LCD TV donated by Toyota, a silver Pandora bracelet donated by Mococo in Mold and a Berghaus Rucksack donated by Berghaus.
