EAGER pupils at Holt Primary School are enjoying new outdoor play equipment thanks to a £5,000 donation.
The money – donated by housebuilders Stonewood Partnerships, who are building 43 houses in the village – has paid for a new wooden climbing frame complete with ropes and bars to help work off excess energy at break times.
Headteacher Jo Hodge said the school had planned to buy the climbing frame in 2020 but Covid had hampered fundraising.
“Small schools can’t stretch to these sorts of things and our parent group, the Holt School Association, which has been amazing at supporting us, have been unable to do a lot of fundraising during the pandemic,” she said.
“It is wonderful that Stonewood have made this generous donation, we’re very lucky to have this and I know the children will be too.”
Some of the school’s 160 pupils were involved in helping to choose the equipment, which headteacher Jo Hodge said is essential in keeping the children healthy and active.
“We wanted the new equipment to offer the children all-weather play and also a bit more of a physical challenge in terms of balance because we want them to be active – and the great thing is multiple children can play on it together,” she said. “The children have been excitedly watching the equipment being installed and can’t wait to try it out.”
Stonewood Partnerships operations manager Gavin Calthrop said, “One of the things we try to do when we build in a community is become part of it and this is a way of doing that.
“We’ve built close relationships with the village and when he heard the school had been unable to fundraise for this equipment, we were pleased to step in.”
Picture: Holt Primary School headteacher Jo Hodge (centre), Stonewood Partnerships operations director Gavin Calthrop and assistant site manager Lucy Field, with pupils on the new play equipment paid for with a £5,000 donation from the developer.
