£1,000 grant for school play trail

A GRANT of £1,000 from Freemasons has gone towards a play trail for school children at Grappenhall.
The £17,000 project to create the trial was initiated by The Friends of St Wilfrid’s when they decided to regenerate a piece of land next to the school in Church Lane. The land was unusable for up to eight months a year because of its high water table.
Plans were devised to put down an all-weather surface and install a low level timber play trail so the facility could be used all year.
After raising £13,000, by events including a summer ball, school discos/film nights and a summer fair, the friends applied to the West Lancashire Freemasons’ Charity for a grant.
The grant was presented by assistant provincial grand master Dennis Rudd to the school’s deputy head, Hazel Fryman.
It is expected that each year more than 600 children will use the play trail, which features a bumpy “clatterbridge” and wobbly balance beam.
Sarah Barwell, Friends’ fundraiser, said: “A low-level play trail has been the wish of children and parents for a long time, given that the nearest park is severely lacking the apparatus that so many other children benefit from these days.”
She said: “Each piece of equipment has been carefully chosen for specific use and will be suitable for all children aged two-and-a-half to 11 years.
“There are huge benefits of physical activity. It has been proven that physical activity, particularly with boys, helps improve concentration and overall behaviour both inside and outside the classroom.”
Picture shows pupils trying out the play trail watched by assistant provincial grand master Dennis Rudd and deputy head Hazel Fryman.