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Squeals of delight
From the Swindon Advertiser, first published Friday 14th Dec 2007.
YOUNGSTERS at Crowdys Hill School will be welcoming in the New Year and a new playground in 2008 after landing a grant from Newsquest's Gannett Foundation fund.
The special school in Jefferies Avenue, Swindon has been awarded £5,500 towards benches, kick-about walls, seating areas and games.
Headteacher Pete Crockett says he is thrilled with the grant, which will help meet the needs of the 120 pupils aged 11 to 16.
He said: "We will be doing all sorts with the grant from creating game areas for groups of pupils to smaller more isolated spots for quieter pupils who enjoy the company of a few friends.
"There are a lot of needs to be met in terms of the social interaction the playground can provide and this money will help meet those. We are so grateful to Gannett."
The Friends of Crowdys Hill School - a registered charity which fundraises for the school - were told of the grant last month.
The charity has been running for 18 years hosting discos, fun days and fetes to boost the school coffers.
Mr Crockett said: "The Friends do an awful lot to boost the school funds but it is always great to get a lump sum from a big organisation like Gannett.
"We can add our own funds to the £5,500 now and really get the project off to a good start."
The school is hoping to have three picnic tables, three kick-about walls and a play shade up and ready to use for good weather next year.
The equipment costs more than £9,000 but the school is also waiting on a grant from Swindon-based Zurich which will cover the excess.
Mr Crockett said: "This is just what we were hoping for - now all we have to do is wait for the good weather to start having things built.
"I would love to have everything ready for the new term next year but knowing the English climate I just hope for good conditions so work can begin soon."
Cheers come after the tears
THE grant had proved to be a silver lining in the cloud hanging over Crowdys Hill School since July.
The school has spent the last four months trying to piece together the remains of its unique animal husbandry unit, which was ruined in one night of senseless destruction.
Vandals broke into the site and destroyed the unit, which took 35 years of dedication to build.
The callous gang burned down part of a pig shed, smashed up an animal shelter and goat house, ripped down fencing, broke windows and forced locks.
The school has been fundraising ever since in a bid to see the unit back up and running and the animals back where they belong.
Headteacher Pete Crockett was concerned that the animals made temporarily homeless by the arson and other damage would be unable to return to the site.
He said: "We were hoping to have the animals here over the summer holidays but we couldn't guarantee their safety."
Now the unit is back up and running with all but a handful of animals returned to their homes.
Thanks to the kindness of residents who offered to house animals, re-build the unit and fund some of the building the school can use 100 per cent of the grant on its latest project.
Mr Crockett said: "Because of fundraising efforts for the repair project we were relying on grants to see the playground improved.
"But because we have seen so much generosity from people in the area we can be happy with using all of the money on the playground."
The school will match remaining funding raised for the sanctuary repairs with the grant to get the playground build underway.
Mr Crockett said: "Our fundraising is a gradual thing used to fix the cheaply fixable things but the grants are what help us get big projects like the playground done. All the improvements will greatly benefit the youngsters here from those who lack confidence to those who need to get involved in more group activities."
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