Pre-school receives funds for outdoor play area
Long Itchington Pre-school has completed the first stage of an outdoor play area, which has been partly funded by Warwickshire County Council’s Community Development Fund.
The play area will benefit the pre-school’s 30 children and also those in the reception class at Long Itchington Primary School where the pre-school is situated.
The final play area will consist of three elements; a climbing structure, a large covered sand box and three free standing activity panels, all of which will provide the children with a variety of essential skills including balance, co-ordination and physical exercise. The climbing structure is now in place.
Situated on the same grounds as Long Itchington Primary School, the pre-school is a registered charity which provides excellent pre-school education for children aged 2 years 9 months to school age. It currently has nearly 30 children from Long Itchington and the surrounding villages who receive a high quality of education delivered in a fun and stimulating environment.
The play area is an important part of the pre-school’s offering, and it is hoped that the sandbox and panels will be in place over the next 18 months.
Jo Hill is Chairperson of the pre-school management committee. She said:
“We receive no regular funding other than the government nursery grant for children aged 3 and 4. Therefore we have had to raise the funds for the play area ourselves.
“This has been achieved by the fantastic support of our staff, parents and others in our community who have helped at fundraising events.
“We were also fortunate enough to have been given a grant by Warwickshire County Council towards the play area from their Community Development Fund and we are extremely grateful to them for this.
“In addition, we have received support from Bank of Scotland Corporate, which, via their charity arm the HBOS Foundation, has provided matched funding for one of our fundraising events to the value of £500. We are continuing to raise funds in order to be able to build the next stages of our play area.”
Cllr George Atkinson, Chair of the Stratford on Avon Area Committee said:
"The Community Development Fund aims to help communities, especially in more disadvantaged areas of the county, tackle issues of local concern. Competition for grants from the Community Development Fund is always high, but Stratford-on-Avon area Committee is delighted to grant financial support to the Long Itchington Pre-school project."
The pre-school has also received strong and enthusiastic support from local councillor for Long Itchington, Bob Stevens. He said:
"The Long Itchington Pre-school is an integral part of the early years education for children in Long Itchington. This new play scheme for which the grant is earmarked will enhance that early experience and add value to the facilities already provided at the pre-school."