It’s hard to believe our last face to face event was our Quiz and Curry Night on 31st January 2020. Since then, we have had to take our fundraising online and you have continued to support us, proving that, despite not being able to be together, our community is still strong. Our Just Giving page also shows just how generous people have been and so we want to say a huge thank you to all of you and of course, the DV staff as well for keeping the donations coming in.
So as things start to look brighter, we wanted to update you with the good news about our current projects, but also to explain an exciting donation we are making directly to the pupils this term.
At our recent meeting, there was a real desire from committee members to do something that would make a difference now and end the school year on an upbeat note for the staff and students after the challenges and disruption everyone has faced due to the pandemic and three lockdowns. So it was decided that we would donate a sum of money per child for teachers to spend on whatever they would like for their class. No doubt that all have a ‘wish list’ in their heads, so it is our hope that this gift will go some way to achieving it. We are very much looking forward to seeing how they spend it and the benefits it brings to our young people and we will of course, share this with you as the term goes on.
There is also fantastic news on our major fundraising project, as work is planned to start on the trampoline room over the summer!! This is really exciting after all the setbacks due to the pandemic and we know what a valuable resource it is going to be.
Another project we are pleased to be supporting is for the development of an outdoor learning space to give students a different experience and engage them in new activities. The Friends has a sum of money set aside historically to be used for an outdoor project, so this seems to fit perfectly! Vanessa explained at our meeting that the School Council has drawn up a list of what it would like included in the area and we are confident we can cover this, so hopefully it will take shape quickly as the weather improves!
Finally, we are very much hoping to be able to bring DV families together before the end of term for a safe, outdoor event in July. We are still awaiting government guidance on this, but we are keeping everything crossed that it will be possible. As soon as we have any news, we will let you know.
We’ve missed our events and all of you and we hope to see you very soon!
Friends of Downs View Committee
