News / Christmas card pledge for ‘lonely’ Skerries kid
GENEROUS internet users from across the world have rallied around a Skerries pupil dubbed the “loneliest schoolboy in Britain” by pledging to send him what could turn into a flurry of Christmas cards.
Ten year old Aron Anderson was brought to nationwide attention recently after being featured in The Daily Telegraph.
The fact that he is the only pupil at the remote islands’ primary school was brought into focus, with Anderson apparently having to make friends with the local wildlife due to his lack of schoolmates.
This sparked an idea from Ross McMahon, a user of website Reddit’s Scotland forum, to create a campaign to send Anderson Christmas cards to bring some “festive cheer” to the kid.
Anderson told Shetland News that he “hasn’t got any cards yet” – but the majority of the Reddit users are not sending anything until 7 December.
Scores of people on the site say they will take part in the appeal, with people from the US, Australia and Japan all due to send cards to his school.
The forum has over 20,000 subscribers and it looks like the festive cards could fly in en masse to the islands, which have a population of around 70.
Some mail has already come to the school for Anderson – but head teacher Jean Harlow is on the mainland for meetings and will only be able to sort through the post on Thursday.
“It’s nice that they’re going to send cards,” he said.
“Sometimes it is lonely [in Skerries], but I get to see my friends and cousins a lot.”
The ten year old was previously joined by the likes of his two brothers Ivan and Owen in the school, as well as some friends, before they left to attend the Anderson High School in Lerwick.
The Skerries secondary school – which was the smallest of its kind in Scotland – was shut last year amid much local anger.
Anderson’s mum Denise said there has been interest from breakfast TV shows and radio stations since the Telegraph article about her son and his title of being an ‘only pupil’.
“So far we have declined all requests as we quite like our quiet life,” she said.
“Although he is the only one in the school he has quite a few school trips and is also out visiting family on the mainland quite often.
“We have a lot of visiting children in the holidays and on the dark winter weather nights he is probably doing what every other 10 year old in Shetland is doing.”
Those interested in sending cards to Aron are asked to direct their mail to:
Mr Aron Anderson,
c/o Skerries School,
Skerries,
Shetland
ZE2 9AS
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