Each girl at Queen Margaret’s is actively encouraged to think about how they impact not only on their immediate environment but also the wider community in which they live. Queen Margaret’s students take pride in helping the local community both within the immediate vicinity of Escrick Village and beyond. The Year IVs regularly help the Escrick Players with their productions from handing out programmes to acting as ushers. Recently the Year II students visited Derwent House and enjoyed conversing with residents and putting on entertainment which varied from reciting their own poems to performing dances for the group. The year group had such an enjoyable time it is hoped that QM will return to Derwent House again soon. Closer to home QM enjoys strong links with Escrick Primary School. The village school uses QM’s theatre every year for their end of term production, giving primary school children the chance to experience performing in a purpose built, professional theatre. Escrick Primary and neighbouring primary schools are invited to the junior production performed in the summer, with schools thoroughly enjoying QM’s production of Alice last summer. This year’s school charity reflects QM’s dedication to helping the local community – the girls chose to support the relatively young charity The Riverside Project in York. The Project will see the conversion of a derelict barn into a centre for the local community offering meals for the elderly, parent and toddler groups and a safe environment for children to meet. The hope is that alongside donating money to the Riverside Project, QM students will be able to visit the project to see how their donations are contributing to the renovation and perhaps even to lend a hand to transforming the old barn into a new and vibrant centre for the community.