Preschool’s
Transformation
The preschool building dates back to the 1940s, originally built as a canteen.
It has been desperately in need of modernising for a number of years and we’re
proud to share preschool’s amazing transformation.
As you’ll see, we’ve come a long way since the single-skin
brick building with its leaky asbestos roof and small play area at the front.
The building is now warm, accessible, and the large garden space behind the
building is a wonderful place for the children to learn, explore and connect
with nature.
These changes would not have been possible without the
commitment, passion and dedication of the staff team, committee of volunteers
and the support of the Primary Academy we share the site with. A huge thank you
to all involved and to the generous fundraising help from local businesses and
the local community.
Summer of 2020 – the flood!
As a result of Covid-19 the preschool was
closed during the first lockdown. In mid-May
when staff went in to prepare for potentially re-opening, they discovered the
building had flooded from a burst water pipe in the existing kitchen area. The
damage was extensive and devastating, not only to the contents but to floors,
electrics and internal doors. We had been planning to modernise and refurbish
the building with fundraising money and from local grants, but the flood damage
meant that our plans had to be adapted and an emergency repair plan had to be
put in place.
Thankfully, our buildings insurance
covered the essential repairs and, in the summer of 2020, we were able to carry
out the building work. The Primary Academy were wonderfully supportive in
helping preschool operate out of one of their buildings for the final few weeks
of the summer term when schools reopened. After filling an entire skip with the
flood-damaged furniture, the builders set to work and preschool was fitted out
with new flooring, internal doors, electrics and a new kitchen . We were also able to replace the old furniture with lovely new
children’s furniture and matching children’s kitchen.
Before the flood happened, part of our
plan to modernise the building had been to develop a secure, large garden at
the back on unused land, formerly an old tennis court. While builders were on
site repairing the flood damage, we took the opportunity to renovate this
garden space too. We owe a huge thanks to local landscaping company in Kings
Sutton, TGM Landscaping, for working hard to transform this disused space into
a wonderful outside area, complete with decking and the all-important mud
kitchen.
The new-look building and garden was able
to re-open its doors in September 2021 thanks to an incredible team
effort.
Summer 2021 – new roof, cladding and
Sensory Garden
Despite the building being fully
refurbished from the flood damage, the old problem with the thin walls and old
roof still remained. Thanks to fundraising money from various events and from
the support of local businesses, plus the help of a government bounceback loan,
we were able to raise enough funds to replace the roof and clad the building
during the summer of 2021. The new-look building is not only completely
watertight and much warmer for the staff and children, it also looks modern,
and fresh compared to its tired former self.
In April
2021 we were incredibly lucky to be gifted a very generous amount from the Boys
family, who’s son Bertie attended preschool. They raised over £4,500 from a
sponsored group run as a thank you to preschool and to raise awareness for
Autism. We decided to put this money towards a new Sensory Garden on the site
of preschool’s old side-garden – a place where children and families can go for
calm and quiet and to connect with nature. Once again, a big thank you goes to
local company TGM Landscaping who did a fantastic job of transforming the space
and helping to replant. We also owe a huge thanks to many people in the local
community who donated herbs and bulbs to plant. We are delighted to have this
separate outside area for the children to enjoy and to be able to share this
space with the Primary Academy children and staff.
The next steps . . .
Our vision for the building and the
outside space continues to evolve to meet the needs of the children and
families in the community. We are very keen to continue to make the building
more sustainable, both financially environmentally. As part of a greener ethos,
we would like to start a Forrest School and the plan is to transform the space
to encourage the children to really connect with nature every time they attend
Preschool.
Originally, before the flood damage, we
had planned to extend the building to be able to accommodate more children, but for now we are
enjoying the work achieved so far and, most importantly, enjoying seeing the
children learn, play and have fun in our wonderful setting.
