Live Simply Award

Live Simply, Care Deeply

The LiveSimply Award recognises Catholic communities who choose to live sustainably, stand in solidarity with our global family, and care for our common home.

The Bishops of England and Wales encourage all parishes and schools to work towards the award as a way of “protecting this world which God has entrusted to us”. Learn more at CAFOD’s LiveSimply Award.

At St. Bede’s Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College, we’re proud to have earned the LiveSimply Award. Our community worked hard to show how we live simply, sustainably and compassionately—standing alongside those most in need.

In 2024, members of our school community met CAFOD’s LiveSimply assessors, who praised how St. Bede’s is putting faith into action every day.

Our Nine Projects

To achieve the award, we embraced nine student-led projects across three strands: Global, Local and School-Led.

Global Projects

  • CAFOD’s Big Walk: raising awareness by walking together for a better world.
  • Fair Trade focus: student assemblies and promoting Fair Trade products to support farmers.
  • Fix the Food System: letters to the World Bank urging fair, sustainable food policies for farmers.

Local Projects

  • Chaplaincy and community outreach: supporting local causes and spreading friendship through service.
  • Reuse & recycle pop-up: collecting second-hand items to share and reduce waste.
  • Eco promises: encouraging families and students to make small changes to cut their carbon footprints.

School-Led Projects

  • Environmental pledges: a creative way to encourage everyone to protect the environment.
  • Waste-free lunches: rewarding students for caring for God’s creation.
  • Daily Live Simply prayer and reflection: keeping our values alive across school life and collective worship.

Continuing the Journey

The spirit of the award continues at St. Bede’s Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College, where we:

  • Get creative for climate justice through CAFOD initiatives.
  • Care for our shared spaces as places for reflection, community and prayer.
  • Support campaigns for justice and dignity in our global family.
  • Work with local charities and outreach projects to support those in need.

At St. Bede’s Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College, living simply isn’t a one-off project—it’s part of who we are. Every small act of kindness, care for creation and solidarity helps us make a big difference.