Persimmon is school's cheque mate

An-Exeter based housebuilder has donated £2,000 to Bowhill Primary School to fund the development of its outdoor space for pupils.

Persimmon Homes South West presented the cheque to pupils and teachers on the last day of term as part of its Community Champions scheme.

The school, based in the St Thomas community, is fundraising for its outdoor area, used by its youngest children.  They use it every day they can as it gives them opportunities to connect with the natural world, have first-hand experiences of life and growth, be creative and imaginative and improve their physical development.

The donation will enable the school to purchase some much-needed resources, specifically new writing tables, small world and mathematical resources for their outdoor area.

The accredited five-star housebuilder has two sales outlets on the outskirts of Exeter: Ashworth Place in Tithebarn and Galileo in Cranbrook. Two, three, and four-bed properties are available from £249,995.

Persimmon’s Community Champions scheme sees £700,000 go to good causes and much-valued organisations across Britain each year. Recent local recipients include Royal Devon Hospitals Charity, Ottery St Mary FC’s Girls, Team Isca Netball Club, Hospiscare Exeter, and Cranbrook and Broadclyst parish councils.

Stacey Harris – Sales Director for Persimmon Homes South West – said:“As an Exeter-based developer, we are really keen to support local organisations and Persimmon has a strong record of lending a helping hand to schools across the South West.

“When we saw that Bowhill Primary needed some funds to improve their outdoors area so its reception pupils can have more hands-on learning outside, then we just had to act.”

Anna Lopez – Headteacher of Bowhill Primary School – added:“Like so many other schools, we’ve had funding pressures over the years that mean we have had to diversify our funding sources, so we were delighted to selected as a Community Champion by Persimmon.

“Many of our pupils do not have access to a garden, or outside space, so school is somewhere where they really enjoy spending time in a safe, open space, within which they can explore.

“So, having this opportunity is crucial to help them develop many key skills, and we’re delighted to be a step closer to improving the outdoor, physical environment for our youngest pupils.”