An introduction to the Friends of Park Road
Academy Primary School

Who are we?

Every parent/guardian of a child at Park Road Academy Primary School is automatically a member of the Friends. The committee is made up of the following people:

• Elinor Stanton (parent) – Chair
• Kate Sidwell (Y2 teacher) – Secretary
• Kristina Collins (parent) - Treasurer

We used meet at the Pelican public house on Manchester Road but due to COVID we have been having virtual meetings. Meetings start at 7pm and are informal.  Look out for the next meeting date.

What do we do?

The aim of the Friends is to strengthen the bond between the School, it’s pupils and their parents/carers by organising social events and, at the same time, raising money for the benefit of the pupils.  Basically, have fun and raise some funds!

Where does the money go?

Over the last few years the Friends have funded:

• The New “Wild About Learning” Garden, with help from the National Lottery
• Safety matting to go under the adventure play equipment in the playground
• Performances for the children in school from the Tempus Fugit theatre company
• The beautiful wall-hangings in the Hall where every pupil from Nursery to Year 6 decorated a square
• The coach for the School Choir to go to the MEN arena for a singing competition.
• Oxford Reading scheme books.
• Christmas and End of Year gifts for the children

Why get involved?

Lots of reasons, here are a few; meet new people, make new friends, get more involved with the school, use your professional skills for a worthy cause, raise money for those extras that the School budget can’t stretch to but the pupils really appreciate. Whether you can attend regular meetings or just lend a hand on a stall at the Summer Fair, all help is greatly appreciated.

If you have any ideas, comments, suggestions then please do get in touch at friendsofparkroad@gmail.com

Does your employer match fund?

Do you work for a large company such as Debenhams, Bookers, Sainsburys, Kelloggs, M&S, RBS ?

If so, then they may operate a Fund Match scheme. This is where you can claim funding from the company to match money that we raise at one of our events.

There are many more employers which run such a scheme and your HR department will be able to tell you more. This could be a really useful source of income as you could claim up to £1000 for the school!

If you are able to help us in this way, please email me on friendsofparkroad@gmail.com and we can have a chat about your companies scheme requirements as this could really help our fundraising particularly at the summer fair.

The Giving Machine (www.thegivingmachine.co.uk):

You Shop, They Give!

Simply register with the website then use it to click through to your favourite online retailers’ websites. Purchases you make then trigger donations to the School. It costs you nothing and you also qualify for special offers and discounts. We currently have over 50 registered users and we’ve raised over £200 since the scheme started. If you shop online and haven’t already registered, then please do so. There is a link on the School Home Page. We also raise money from unwanted clothing collections and craft catalogue sales. If you have any ideas for new fundraising ventures, let us know

The Valentines Disco was a huge success! The children had lots of fun dancing and playing party games. This event managed to raise £351 towards the school. Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen.