Housebuilders' boost for Thakeham pre-school

The developer is building new homes at Abingworth Fields – phase three of the Abingworth Meadows development in the village – and donated £8,500 to fund the all-weather shelter, which is making it easier for parents to drop off their children and pick them up each day.

The canopy has been installed at the front of the pre-school building by local family-run business Aliport Commercial.

The pre-school moved into its new purpose-built facility in Abingworth Crescent in January 2018, and the building is just one of the community projects which has been provided within the wider Abingworth Meadows scheme.

Thakeham Pre-School manager Sharon Rance said: “We are very grateful to Bellway for giving us the funds to pay for this all-weather canopy because it now plays an essential role at our school.

“It is being used on a daily basis by our children and their parents. Apart from helping everybody stay dry when it is raining, it will give us some shade to stay cool in the summer.

“We are also planning to use it to provide mums and dads the space and opportunity to chat with other parents, which they will certainly appreciate a lot in the early days of transition.

“The canopy also allows us to display posters and notices on that side of the building which was not possible before we had it. So, it has been a very useful and multifunctional addition to our school, and we have Bellway to thank for it.”

Bellway’s Abingworth Fields is the third and final stage of construction at Abingworth Meadows. The wider development, which has been built on land previously used for mushroom growing, has also provided a cricket pitch, football fields, a village hall, changing rooms and a cricket pavilion as well as the pre-school building.

Daniel Bradbury, managing director of Bellway South London, said: “We believe that assisting local schools and pre-schools is among the most direct ways of making a tangible difference in the lives of the children and the families who live in the homes we build, as well as in the wider community.”