Buxton primary school needs to raise £84k for new sports facility

Staff and students at Burbage Primary School have been awarded planning permission for the project and a contractor is in place to build the new sports area, but the project just needs a boost with funds.

Headteacher Anthony Tierney said: “We desperately need to improve our sports facilities at the school.

“We have a field but with the Buxton winters as they are it is completely inaccessible for sometimes eight months of the year so we wanted to give the children a space where they could do sports all year round.”

The pitch will be surrounded by a fence to block out the noise, and it will be open to the community during the evenings and at weekends.

The school has already applied for two grants to help them reach their target, but is also calling on the community to get behind the project.

Anthony said: “This new pitch is not just for the children, now it will be something which will be used for years to come and help keep future generations active.”

The school has already achieved the Active Lifestyle Gold Award by Derbyshire School Sports three years in a row for a continued ethos of putting physical education first, and Anthony said he hoped to build on this success.

He said: “Once we get the pitch it will free up the playground which we have been using so we can look to develop that space in the future.”

The school’s parent, teacher and friends association has invested £5,000 into the development.

Chairperson Sarah Brown said: “It’s nice to have an actual project to fundraise for, and this is a really important one.

“Exercise not only improves physical health but mental health and concentration in class, and any opportunities we can give to our children to be more active should be encouraged.”

The school will be holding a Christmas fair tomorrow evening (Friday), from 5pm to 7pm, with craft and gifts, a choir, a dance workshop, pocket money stalls and games.

To donate to the fundraiser click here