Sarah Brewis, Headteacher of Woodborough School, says the 190 pupil school has been overwhelmed with the offers of support from the community after last Friday’s fire destroyed two classrooms and the staffroom. She said, “We sincerely thank each of you for your kind words and deeds. After the shock and disbelief everyone is rallying. There’s a definite feeling that Woodborough magic will prevail and we’ll all come through this together.” The PTA are busy fundraising and have set a target of £50,000. £14,000 has already been raised. If you would like to donate click here.
Sophie Davies, Chair of Woodborough PTA told Marlborough.news, “We want to raise as much as possible to be able to provide equipment, resources, a special treat for the children or just something to help to bring them back to normal life. It will, of course, be up to the school to decide how best to spend the money.”
A separate Gofund me initiative was set up moments after news of the fire broke out by Chloë Louise Groom and this has raised a further £5000.
Today Dorset and Wilts Fire Service issued the following statement: “Following investigations, the Service has concluded that Friday’s fire started accidentally in the school roof, which had been undergoing building works.
We have thanked the community of Woodborough for its support. During the incident, local people provided refreshments, the social club was opened as a rest area, and driveways were made available for vehicles to be parked.”
Chief Fire Officer Ben Ansell said: “This was a large and complex incident, with firefighters working tirelessly to contain the fire, and protect and save as much of the school as possible. We know this has had a significant impact on the community, and we were incredibly grateful for the support we received, not just within the village but from partners including Wiltshire Council and Wiltshire Police.”
From tomorrow, Wednesday September 22, zoom lessons will be offered as the school is currently without water or electricity. It is hoped that the school will be able to reopen next Monday, complete with some temporary classrooms.
Sarah Brewis, Headteacher, said, “The events of the evening of 17th were shocking to witness. We want to say a sincere thank you to all the emergency services who attended the fire; they risked their lives to minimize the damage to our buildings and adjoining property. We are sincerely grateful to them.
Our school is not defined by the buildings, it is defined by our culture, and we are confident that culture will see us through this period of adversity. We will rebuild and continue to provide high calibre education. The Woodborough magic will prevail!”
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