Community effort leads to exciting changes at rural primary school playground

A small primary school near Dartmoor is celebrating the installation of new playground equipment, following a major community-led fundraising campaign.

Boasley Cross Primary School, near Okehampton, welcomed pupils, parents and supporters on 23 May to mark the completion of the project, which raised £20,000 in under a year.

Chair of the Friends of Boasley Cross School (FOBCS), Sara Sumner, praised the efforts of the local community.

“As a small rural primary school, Boasley Cross relies on the continuous generosity and support from friends, families and the wider community to ensure our children continue to experience an enriched school experience,” she said.

“Last year we embarked on a huge fundraising drive for new permanent playground equipment for the current pupils and hopefully many, many more future pupils to enjoy. The support from our school community was phenomenal and we cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity. We raised £20,000 over an academic year and the playground is now being thoroughly enjoyed!”

In addition to donations from families, the school received financial support from local businesses, charities and trusts.

“In addition to our fundraising efforts, FOBCS received some incredibly generous grants and donations from local trusts, charities, organisations and businesses,” Ms Sumner added. “Without this generosity, we would not have achieved our fundraising goal in the timeframe that we did. We feel very grateful and very lucky to have been supported in this way.”

The new playground is already in use by pupils, who have been enjoying the new equipment during breaks and lessons.