All weather running track for St Mary's

We are the PTA of a small village school in rural Hampshire called St Mary’s in Bentworth. The school is a large part of village life and we have many facilities we share with the village e.g the School Hall. As a PTA we work very closely with the Teachers and Villagers and together we have decided a running track will be of huge benefit both for the children but also the wider community.

For the school it will mean the children are able to complete the Daily Mile, something that is not currently possible logistically as the playground is already in use at all times of the day. An all weather terrain track would allow one class to complete the daily mile while another is using the playground for their timetabled activities. The Daily Mile has been widely introduced to many schools and the benefits to children’s fitness, mental health and learning are very clear. As we all know everyone’s fitness levels decreased over the pandemic but the children especially had far less access to their usual daily exercise. It is so essential this is remedied as quickly as possible. We are determined to make sure this is something our children have access to throughout their primary education.

For the community an all weather terrain track would also have a huge benefit. Living in a small village means no pavements and small narrow roads that are unsafe to run on. Being surrounded by farming fields also does not allow all weather access for exercise and for most of the year isn’t even suitable for a walk. As the school grounds are accessible to the village (and wider community) outside of school hours the track would be a great way to bridge this gap and encourage exercise throughout the community - we all now know how important it is to have space to exercise close to home.

We would love your help and support in making this hugely beneficial project happen and truly appreciate any amount you are able to put towards our £30,000 goal. Thank you