Cash for Schools winners look forward to spending surprise windfall

Sponsored by Enterprise-Flex-E-Rent, the competition was open to all infant and primary schools with reception to Year Six pupils within the Shropshire Star circulation area.

Tokens were collected from the paper by pupils, parents, teachers and friends.

The prize was shared between the schools that collected the highest ratio of tokens per pupil.

More than 50 schools registered to enter the competition.

The overall winner was High Ercall Primary in High Ercall, where the 144 pupils collected 5,000 tokens between them. Their £5,000 prize will be used on their existing garden of reflection, with plans to also develop a new one.

Headteacher Sarah Roberts said: “The response was amazing from the pupils, their parents and friends, even former pupils some of whom came back for the cheque presentation. It was a wonderful effort and the money will enable us to focus on developing the sensory garden and a new one that has been identified.

“We already have an eco-warrior team from amongst the pupils that look after the garden in terms of watering it every day and generally keeping it neat and tidy. It is there for everyone to use whether it is just to go out there for a moment of thought or reflection or to do some gardening after school or in breaks. The money will enable us to bring the landscaper back in that developed the first one and work on the new project.”

Staff at runners up Bomere Heath CE Primary School said they were delighted with the £3,000 they had won and it would go towards paying for the wooden play trail which was replaced just after Easter.

Fiona Winwood from the school said: “The trail which is so popular was replaced just after Easter but we need to pay for it – we have been doing fundraising towards it for a while but this will obviously help a lot. This is quite a small community where the school is situated so for them all to come together and do so well is really something exciting.”

St Mary’s CofE Primary in Mucklestone only has a roll of 56 pupils but scooped third place and £2,000.

Clare Hill from the school said : “We are only a small school here so it was a great effort by everyone. We were quite shocked to do quite well but obviously delighted. We are a close knit school, being a church school, well supported by them and we are chuffed with the additional resource of £2,000 which will go toward sports equipment and additional resources for the core subjects history, geography and science which was agreed on by the pupils.”

Clunbury CE Primary and Hadnall SE Primary picked up £1,000 each. Cathryn Jones, of Clunbury, said the £1,000 would be spent on providing equipment for the community music group at the school. The group tries to get out to fetes, summer fairs and other community event to sing and bring music to the people.

She said: “We are a small school of only around 50 pupils so this could be a game changer for us in terms of getting the group out there, providing a decent amplifier for them and helping with travel costs. We just want to spread some cheer if we can - we haven’t been able to do that for the last two years and there’s not much of it about at the moment.

“We will also look at providing t-shirts for the group so some of the money may go towards this.”