Windmill Primary hits the jackpot with parents’ donation to library

Pupils at Windmill Primary School in Wokingham will never again have an excuse to complain that they are bored following a remarkable fundraising effort by the school’s parents.

Having only been open four terms, Windmill has a small student body, but already the Friends of Windmill Primary School (FOWP) have banded together to raise £1000  - £500 of which was donated by local firm TaxCalc, Acorah Software Products Ltd - specifically to be spent on books for the school library.

“We’re all readers ourselves, and we want to pass that love of books on to our children, so we decided the library was the project we wanted to focus on,” said parent and fundraiser Lynne Simmonds. “Of course the library already has the essentials, but we wanted to build
on it and make it into a really lovely facility. £1000 was always our long-term goal, but we never thought we’d reach it so early.”

The fact the school has only been open such a short time makes the industry of the Friends all the more impressive, but Mrs Simmonds said the fact they were building a new school community from scratch gave them an extra incentive. “Windmill’s such a special place, it’s wonderful to have the opportunity to establish a new school family and it shows in how much work people have put in with the Friends,” she explained.

“We’re a small group but we’re always open to new members joining us and bringing in fresh ideas. It’s hugely rewarding, and it’s not often you get the opportunity to build a community like this, but the success of this fundraising scheme proves just what a good start we’ve made.”

Adults in picture (left to right): Karen Esson (FOWP), James Baston (FOWP), Lynne Simmonds (FOWP) and Mrs Homer (Executive Head Teacher, Windmill Primary).