Today we were invited for the official opening of a new basket swing at Bennerley Fields Specialist Speech & Language College in Ilkeston.
The new swing was partly funded with £1,500 from the Toyota Fund for a Better tomorrow, which aims to improve the lives of people in the local community through educational, environmental and road safety projects.
Before the cutting of the Ribbon by one of Bennerley’s excited pupils, donors were thanked by way of a song which the children sang brilliantly. We were also given three (yes three!) thank you cards from different children, who were clearly delighted at the arrival of this brilliant new playground equipment. Also being unveiled was a brand new picnic bench, brightly painted in rainbow colours.
The swing is just one part of an entire revamp of what was an empty basketball court, with the aim of providing top-class facilities for the 84 children with learning difficulties and diverse needs. Next on the list is a specially designed sunken trampoline and an inclusive roundabout, both of which can be enjoyed by children who use wheelchairs.
As we tucked into tea and biscuits after the unveiling, we watched as the children played on their new swing, happy in the knowledge that the money had gone towards something that will make a real difference to the children’s lives at Bennerley Fields School.
