Clanfield CE Primary School was celebrating today after raising the cash to pay for a much-needed fixed canopy in a month.

The canopy gives extra space for the children to play as well as learn during the pandemic.

The school made an appeal to the community for help after a year spent trying to raise the money to pay for the shelter themselves.

In the end they posted an appeal and created a page on schools crowdfunding site Donate My School.

It showed a picture of a destroyed gazebo which they had been using after it was kindly lent by a neighbour.

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The appeal described it as "broken and unfixable".

The gazebo was ruined following storm damage.

The school wrote: "Imagine the faces of the children when they arrived into school to find this!"

It meant that during the pandemic, when fresh air is recommended, Years 1 and 2 were unable to do some of their activities outside and much-needed additional space was lost.

The appeal said: "Our five and six-year-olds are now without a covered area and without shelter they will be unable to read, paint or work in small groups."

It was then the school decided to launch the community fundraiser.

Headteacher Kim Rogers said: "We had been saving for the last year but we were a long way off our £3,000 target to pay for a canopy so made a plea to the community for help.

"Our PTA (Friends of Clanfield School) have continued to raise money throughout lockdown but due to the pandemic they have only managed to raise a quarter of the typical funds they would normally raise in a school year."

However, after posting the Donate My School page, and spreading the word in and around Clanfield, to their great surprise their generous friends, neighbours and local businesses donated the total £3,000 in one month.

Much of the money was donated anonymously.

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The school is now thinking of having a grand opening so they can celebrate with some of the donors.

Mrs Rogers said: "I would like to say a very big thank you to all our community, friends, visitors, and local businesses who supported this cause.

"We now have a canopy which can be used all year round."

She added: "It has transformed this sad little area into an inspiring space which has given some of our youngest pupils the opportunity to be learning all day every day."

Teachers welcomed the new canopy because it not only allows a lot of light into the area but can be used as a breakout space for lessons as well as shelter.