Wigan youngsters help raise funding for new track

Friends Of Orrell Newfold Community Primary are hoping to help pay for an all-weather track there.

The school PTA is hosting a range of events throughout the academic year in order to achieve its goal.

“Lots of schools over the past few years have managed to get one thanks to funding pots from Sport England and the National Lottery, but when we have looked into it at the moment there isn’t any money available for these kind of projects.

“There is a massive field at the back of the school the kids can use, but for the majority of the year it’s just not accessible with it being so muddy which ruins the carpets and flooring inside.

“Once we manage to get the track, the school are looking at putting some sort of rota together so each class gets to benefit from it.”

The children and staff envisage using the track for a multitude of activities, such as well-being walks, resilience runs and for the teaching of the PE curriculum, while inviting members of the community to access it too.

Newfold believe that daily exercise and time spent outdoors play a vital role in contributing to the mental health and well-being of children and think the track can be such a versatile resource for the school.

The track itself is going to cost £30,000, with the school hoping to raise £10,000 to contribute to the cost.

Mrs Trencher said: “We have already got some funds so we are hoping that we can raise the money as soon as possible so we can get the work booked in.

“The head teacher has had a few quotes but we want to wait until we have the funds.

“The children did a walkathon back in July, that raised £2,000 which is a great starting point.

“Because of Covid restrictions there wasn’t much we could do last year but now we are organising discos and a big Christmas fayre along with other events throughout the school year to help us achieve our goal.

“We hope to have raised the money by the end of the school year.”

People can donate to the school’s fundraiser via their just giving page.

Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here