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Annual Review 2025

Thank you for an incredible year!


Friends of Halstow is a registered charity that supports Halstow Primary School by funding items and experiences that fall outside the budget capabilities of the school. We firmly believe all children at Halstow should love being at school and have every opportunity possible to learn and grow. However, none of this is possible without you.
This report is a celebration of what your donations, time and community spirit have enabled us to deliver for the children this year.

Financial overview

  • Your incredible generosity helped raise a total income of £32,000, which included £19,000 from charitable activities and £13,000 from donations and legacies.

  • We put £45,000 of funding directly back into the school.

  • Across our main events, 130 of you gave up your time to volunteer, contributing hundreds of hours to make these fundraisers a success

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Educational enrichment and experiences

  • Your donations provided a book for every child in school from the book fair during book week

  • You inspired our young readers during book week by funding visits from two children's authors, Sharon Davey and Anna James.

  • You paid for coaches to sports day at Sutcliffe Park

  • You brought live theatre to the children by funding performances of the 'Scroogical' panto by West End in Schools.

  • You gave each reception starter a new Halstow Book Bag to help them feel a part of the school from day 1

  • By selling Christmas cards it meant that the whole school could experience a visit from Santa and his Elves at Christmas with gifts for each class

  • You sponsored forest school sessions for the reception classes, which were enabled by The Bridge.

School infrastructure and equipment

  • Your generosity allowed for an investment of over £20,000 for the astro turf in the playground providing an area for PE and football during playtime

  • You enriched outdoor play by providing a new reading shed and 15 Didicar scooters.

  • You provided extensive storage solutions for all the new OPAL kit which is in the playground.

  • You directly supported our teachers by providing over £3,000 in classroom funds to ensure they have exactly what they need for their lessons, as well as new classroom supplies like tuff spot trays.

Therapeutic garden and environmental upgrades

  • Your contributions funded dedicated therapeutic gardening sessions throughout the spring and summer.

  • You helped transform the wildlife garden by paying for new fencing, fixtures, landscaping sleepers and leisure sand.

  • You provided hundreds of pounds worth of compost, plants, seeds and tools to keep the school's green spaces blooming

How you made all of this happen

Halloween disco

The children had an unforgettable time at the Halloween disco, all thanks to your incredible support. An amazing 52 of you volunteered, giving up over 90 hours of your time in a single day to run the tuck shop, manage the door, oversee the face painting and keep everyone safe. Your contributions also helped stock the event with drinks, sweets, candy floss and fantastic decorations. It was a brilliant evening that the pupils will remember for a long time.
 

Summer fair

Our summer fair was a massive success and a true highlight of the school calendar. This phenomenal community event saw 85 parents and carers volunteer an incredible 254.5 hours to run the bar, manage the inflatables, serve food and host the games. We also want to thank the local businesses and families who stepped up to sponsor the event, helping us cover the costs and maximise the money raised for the school. Not to mention the wonderful surprise guests!
 

Silent disco

The silent disco was another fantastic addition to our calendar of fundraising events. Once again, our parent volunteers were instrumental in making this happen, safely managing the indoor capacity limits and keeping the children entertained on the dance floor. Your enthusiasm and willingness to help run these events means we can continue to offer the children these unique and incredibly fun experiences, while raising vital funds for the school.
 

Individual gifts

While our events bring the community together, we are also incredibly grateful for the direct financial support from our families. This year, your generous individual gifts and donations amounted to a staggering £13,000. These direct contributions are vital, as they allow us to efficiently fund items and experiences that fall outside the budget capabilities of the school without the overheads of running an event.

Thank you for your continued, unwavering generosity.

 

Thank you to all the volunteers, the Friends of Halstow Committee and Ms Tilley for their incredible energy, support and time in making all of this happen. 

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