Volunteers bring new Cuddingto Croft library a big step closer to completion

Half-term may have been time off for pupils at Cuddington Croft, but for a group of hardy volunteers, that was when the work started as they gave up their free time for the school’s very own DIY SOS.

The primary school in Cheam has just had a new library built, and before half-term an appeal was put out in the school newsletter for people willing to give up their time to help get it closer to completion by decorating it during the mid-term break.

“It was a wonderful effort,” said head teacher Scott Maclean. “On Saturday morning, we took delivery of huge shipment of boxes of fixtures and fittings – there were 155 from Ikea alone, as well as other suppliers. Fortunately our appeal for helpers had been a great
success, and we had members of staff, parents and even one former pupil who turned up and spent the whole day working incredibly hard, so that in just over six hours, we’d managed to put everything together and have it in place.”

The next step is to get the shelving attached to the walls of the new building, and once that is done safely, then the school can begin the process of transporting the books from the old building to the brand new facility.

“We’re all extremely excited about it,” said Mr Maclean. “The library project has been part of school life for quite a while now – the PTA have made a great contribution towards fitting it out, and the pupils have been able to watch it go up over the last few months. Now, we’re close to being able to actually use it. It’s going to be a wonderful addition to the school and will really enrich the children’s learning experience.”