friends of tollcross primary school charity · selling these at the school, we are also looking to...

Friends of Tollcross Primary School 2016

Friends of Tollcross Primary School Charity

Playground Project March 2017

Friends of Tollcross Primary School

2 Friends of Tollcross Primary School 2017

Contents

About the School – Who is Tollcross Primary School? ............................................................................................... 3

About the Charity – Who are Friends of Tollcross Primary School? .......................................................................... 4

What’s the problem? .................................................................................................................................................. 5

What’s the plan? ........................................................................................................................................................ 9

Why help us? ............................................................................................................................................................ 10

What would it mean to the kids and local community? .......................................................................................... 11

What have we achieved already ? ............................................................................................................................ 12

What are we currently doing ? ................................................................................................................................. 12

What’s in the pipeline? ............................................................................................................................................. 12

What do we need? ................................................................................................................................................... 13


Friends of Tollcross Primary School 2017 3

About the School – Who is Tollcross Primary School?

Tollcross Primary School is a small and vibrant city centre school with approximately 200 pupils, on Fountainbridge. It is much smaller than its neighbouring Primary schools (it is approximately a third of the size of both Bruntsfield Primary and Sciennes Primary Schools) which means fundraising for large targets such as these is much harder to achieve.

Located at 117 Fountainbridge, the present school dates from 1912, and was built on the site of the old Public Slaughterhouse. It was previously known as the Lothian Road Public School and was situated where the Usher Hall is today. The site also incorporates the Tollcross Nurseries (formerly known as Grassmarket Nursery and Lochrin Nursery), Gingerbread Breakfast and After School Clubs, Tollcross Community Centre (which houses a wide range of clubs and associations) and a popular playground for the local community.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usher_Hall



About the Charity – Who are Friends of Tollcross Primary School?

A number of parents from the school got together with the main objective of overhauling the school playground for the health and wellbeing of the children of the Tollcross area, and Friends of Tollcross Primary Charity was formed in May 2016. Our Charity number is: SC046522.



What’s the problem?

Although Tollcross Primary is lucky as a city centre school to have such a spacious playground it is badly in need of modernisation and repair.

The climbing frame, which was installed over 20 years ago, was closed for several weeks due to safety concerns and was only reopened after a popular “flying fox” feature was removed. The concrete surfacing is hard, uninspiring and dotted throughout with potholes and the children have no immediate access to any green space.

Our playground is heavily used during school hours by the pupils, the after-school clubs, the community centre and the nursery school and is open for public use after school hours. It is one of the few safe places for city centre children to play in this area.



What’s the plan?

We appreciate that this is not going to happen overnight and may have to come in a number of phases. We are looking to replace broken equipment, revitalise tired open spaces and provide a modern and safe playing surface for sports. The necessary improvements are going to cost many thousands of pounds and in the absence of any Council monetary assistance we are looking to local businesses and developers to help in funding this.

Our fundraising plans include replacing the climbing frame in the P1-P3 playground and replacing the football pitch in the main playground with a purpose built wet pour surface pitch that doubles up as a basketball court.

Ideally we would like to achieve the following:

replace P1 to P3 climbing frame

football pitch/basketball court

resurface playground

revitalise garden area and put in disabled access/easy access for prams

replenish existing sports equipment

convert existing shed so it can hold sports equipment

separate entrance for community centre from the school

Our target based on our plans, estimates and quotes we have received is circa £70k.



Why help us?

With your help, our plans can:

promote the health and wellbeing of school pupils

encourage active children

cater for a much larger community than just the primary school children o nursery children o after school club o breakfast club children o community centre

maintain one of the few areas where local children can play safely out of hours



What would it mean to the kids and local community?



What have we achieved already ?

Achieved charity status (May 2016).

Current total is sitting at approximately 42% of our targeted total.

The Charity has received important financial donations, grants and financial support from BlackRock, Martin Currie, GSS Property Developers, Hymans Robertson and South West Neighbourhood Partnership.

Voluntary support from BlackRock and Bowmer and Kirkland.

School fundraising events (discos, film nights, Canal Festival) have raised about £3,000.

Some of the local businesses/banks matched the sums raised during the events.

Tesco Fountainbringe have helped with collecting tins, a raffle and tombola.

The Charity was awarded £5,000 from Tesco’s Bags of Help grants, to improve the school’s garden area.

The Co-op have chosen the playground project as one of the local beneficiaries of their community funding.

One of the pupils from the school won 20mph Schools mascot competition which was a city wide competition which had a prize for the school of £1000 which has been added to the playground fund.

Scotmid have awarded the charity £150 in vouchers to assist with future fundraising events.

Wide engagement with local businesses which are supporting the charity with donations for the fundraising events.

Created a website, as well as Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Opened an online giving account.

What are we currently doing ?

Continue engaging with the local businesses and developers who are building in the local area to look for financial backing/direct assistance/voluntary support with the playground project.

Working with Tollcross Community Council who are assisting and supporting in promoting the charity’s work and keeping us informed of any local opportunities to gain and raise funds.

What’s in the pipeline?

Friends of Tollcross Primary School – Bags for Life – currently seeking sponsorship. In addition to selling these at the school, we are also looking to the local supermarkets, shops and businesses to also buy and sell these on the charity’s behalf.

Planning fundraising activities for 2017 including more disco/cinema nights and a sponsor walk.



What do we need?

Financial support - throughout each of the various stages of the playground project. This could include financial contributions to specific pieces of equipment, adding donations to the playground fund and/or funding the fundraising activities such as the “bags for life”. These could also be more regular payments throughout the progression of developing the playground – for example in matching our fundraising events.

Direct assistance – for example by providing the materials required for the playground, publicising our fundraising efforts.

Voluntary support – in redeveloping parts of the playground (e.g. playground, planters, garden area), painting/decorating murals or support with fundraising events.

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