A Bristol primary school damaged in a fire earlier this month has launched a fundraiser. The appeal is to raise additional funds which will help the school’s Year One classes and staff as they are forced to move to elsewhere in the building.
St Michael’s School in Stoke Gifford was the victim of a fire which took place on December 8, destroying the school conservatory and badly damaging two of the Year One classrooms. The school was closed the following day as an investigation got underway.
Avon Fire and Rescue Service were called to St Michael’s Primary School shortly before 9.30pm, with around 40 firefighters from all over Bristol reportedly attending to tackle the blaze. The flames were put out overnight, but the school informed parents and guardians it would be unable to open the following day as investigations were carried out.
The school now has a GoFundMe page, with a target of raising £3,000. The fundraiser is already nearing that goal, having received 82 donations amounting to a total of almost £2,500.
The GoFundMe states: “Everything in these rooms was lost, including all the school work that children had done. As a result, classes have needed to be rehomed elsewhere in the school building.
“Although the school insurance will pay to replace the equipment lost, we would like to raise additional funds to recognise the upheaval and disruption of the Year One classes and staff. This fundraising will help us to provide new resources and will support the transition into new spaces and classrooms within the school.”
The page goes on to give a list of items Year One teachers feel ‘would be beneficial for the children’, including:
- Early Maths Outdoor Kit £349.99
- Giant Foam Counters £68.39 x 2
- Giant Mosaic Shapes £99.59 x 2
- Measuring Cylinders £28.97 x 2
- Tuff Tray Stands £114.44 x 3
More items will be added to either this list or the Amazon Wish List which has been compiled. As a registered charity, the St Michael’s PTFA are leading the fundraising effort and say that every donation will help, adding: “Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause, that means so much to all of us at the school.”
You can donate to the GoFundMe page directly by clicking this link.