Town council gives £2,500 to St Michael’s to replace old storage areas

A Lyme Regis school has received a welcome funding boost to help encourage more outside play.

St Michael’s Primary School and the Pre-School Parents and Friends Association (PFA) was awarded £2,500 by the town council to replace old and damaged sheds, used to store outdoor play equipment.

The equipment was becoming damaged, mouldy and unusable as the old metal sheds let in rain and damp.

But thanks to funding from the local authority, the school has replaced them with four new wooden ones, two of which are in the primary school playground and the other two at the pre-school.

Headteacher Nick Kiddle said: “A huge thank you to Lyme Regis Town Council. It will make a difference to the children every single day.

“We couldn’t use the sheds before, we couldn’t get in them because they were damp and smelly.

“Now we can store it safely, we are going to buy new equipment for the playground.”

Micheala Demkiw, chairman of the PFA, said: “We are incredibly grateful for the grant. It’s a lovely school and it’s good to be able to promote it in a really positive way by working with the town council.

“We have such a good outdoor space, so to be able to have equipment stored safely in the sheds and this space, we are very lucky.”

Year 6 pupils showed the sheds to Cllr Cheryl Reynolds, chairman of the tourism, community and publicity committee, and Cllr Richard Doney, its vice-chairman.

Cllr Reynolds said: “The council couldn’t do anything but support this grant. We also recognised the school supports the town by getting involved in local initiatives and attending local events.”

Cllr Doney said: “The council is insistent on doing what it can to help young people in Lyme Regis and it feels this is a priority.”

Cllr Reynolds and Cllr Doney presented a cheque to the school and were thanked by the all the pupils during a morning assembly.

Year 6 pupil Sophie Carey said: “The sheds are very useful and they can’t get damp inside.”

The pre-school is also making good use of its sheds.

Pre-school leader Mandy Broster said: “We use one of the sheds as a construction area. It gives the children the independence to get the equipment out when they want and encourages free choice for children.”