Brave parents and teachers to attempt Spinnaker Tower abseil to raise funds for cooking and gardening activities for pupils

More than £1,600 has already been collected to boost pupils’ extracurricular activities at Petersgate Infant School thanks to a daring squad of parents and teachers.

Members of Pals of Petersgate School have teamed up with staff at the Clanfield school to brave new heights for the children on June 19, after fundraising took a huge hit during lockdown.

Seven people are set to descend from the Gunwharf Quays landmark in an effort to develop outside play areas and fund gardening and cooking lessons.

Parent Kate Underwood, secretary of the PTA, is one of the fearless volunteers taking part in the challenge which has been rearranged twice due to the pandemic and high winds.

Kate said: ‘The school is a fantastic school and they totally rely on fundraising for all the extra activities like gardening and music.

‘The pupils love the cooking and gardening and are desperate to get back to it. They’re eager to really express themselves and be outside and have that open space.’

The school usually raises funds throughout the year by putting on events including school discos, Christmas and Easter fairs, and a summer fair which usually raises thousands.

However, all plans were put on hold due to lockdown restrictions, meaning the parent-teacher association had to get creative with fundraising efforts.

Money from these events help pay for cooking and gardening lessons, minibus trips and insurance for the school’s therapy dogs.

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Head teacher Julie Cook, who will take on the abseil, said: ‘I am privileged to work with such an amazing team of people raising additional funds for our school. Abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower will be great fun and we are thankful for all the support we are receiving.

‘By putting ourselves out of our comfort zone, we are showing the children how important it is that we challenge ourselves so that we can achieve new goals.

‘Budgets are tight for many of our schools but we know how important it is for children to learn life skills and work hard to ensure these opportunities remain available.

‘I am really excited to face this abseiling challenge with colleagues and our team of parents.’

Visit gofund.me/fc83b108 to donate.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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