Grammar school parents’ association raises nearly £3,300

An online silent auction in aid of Colyton Grammar School was something to shout about.

Run by the parents’ association (CGSPA), it raised a thumping £3,345.

With 35 lots ranging from a selection of home-baked chocolate brownies to £1,500 worth of landscaped garden design, the auction ran for two weeks with a mixture of donations from parents, individuals and companies.

Several local firms offered lots for the auction, including the Exeter Chiefs Foundation, the Michelin starred Masons Arms at Knowstone, on the edge of Exmoor, and the Devon County Show - with stand-out lots including a holiday to the Outer Hebrides, cream tea and polo, and a fishing and crabbing tour of the Lyme Bay area.

Other companies who donated towards the auction included Everys Solicitors, Axminster Power Tools, and Another Coffee, offering lots such as financial health checks, private tutoring and even six cakes over a period of six months - which has been donated directly to the school for the staff to enjoy each month.

Carolyn Ware, the current chairman of the parents’ association, offered “a huge thank you to all the individuals and companies who donated towards our auction and all those who went online to bid.

“Each donation made and each bid placed helped make this event a success.”

The CGSPA has also seen success with a series of other campaigns recently, including the Wheels Appeal, which provided £20,000 for a new school minibus, and most notably the Space 4 Science Appeal which raised more than £100,000 to create a new science laboratory.

The next event in the Colyton Grammar School Parents’ Association calendar is the Garden and Food Festival, to be held in the school grounds on Saturday (May 12). It takes place from 10am to 4pm.

The Festival is a hugely popular local event and provides people with a great day out in East Devon.

Everyone is invited to attend and admission to the Festival is free of charge.

To find out more about this popular annual event please visit the festival website at: www.colytongardenfoodfestival.uk