Barnard Castle School pupil sells eggs to tackle poverty

Barnard Castle Preparatory School pupil Ned Hutt has not eaten a single egg from his chickens in the past year.

Instead, every egg is sold to customers in his village near Appleby, with the proceeds going to charity.

The money from his egg sales, supplemented by his compost-making business, is donated to Concern Worldwide.

The charity aims to support the 25 million people worldwide who live on less than £1.50 a day.

Ned's efforts have helped fund various community projects, including a goat for milk and compost, a pig for piglets, two start-up chicken farms for eggs, meat and chicks, and a set of children's library books to aid literacy.

Barnard Castle Preparatory School pupil Ned Hutt may have kept chickens for two years but in the past 12 months hasn’t eaten a single egg (Image: Supplied)

The young philanthropist said: "It started when we had a new kitchen and we made egg boxes from the spare wood.

"I had eight chickens, Pekins, and they laid really well.

"People in the village and around the area buy them all.

"I haven’t eaten one of my own eggs in over a year.

"They are nice eggs and every day people ask us if we have any.

"If I deliver them I get an extra 50p."

Despite some setbacks, including a red mite attack that killed some of his chickens, Ned remains committed to his cause.

He said: "I will always have chickens as they are so nice to have.

"I love watching them scratch around and I feed them breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.

"It’s also a nice way to help people who are living in poverty."

Headmistress Laura Turner said: "Kindness, compassion and empathy are qualities we strive to engender in all of our children and Ned is a perfect example of how action locally can impact globally.

"He is doing a tremendous job with his charitable efforts and is a worthy recipient of our Heart of Gold Award for going above and beyond outside of school."