Dewsbury charity present £5,000 cheque to Ravenshall School

The school concerned is Ravenshall School in Thornhill Lees, and the generous donation came from St John‘s Masonic Lodge in Dewsbury.

Fundraising for the project is led by the Friends of Ravenshall who are seeking to improve facilities and life chances for children and young people aged from 5-19 years old who attend the school.

The cheque was presented on Tuesday, April 25 by the charity steward, John Hudson, who said St John’s Masonic Lodge had made the donation in conjunction with their West Riding Provincial Grand Lodge charity.

John said: “Few people realise that Freemasons are the largest contributors to charities in the UK and that they grant millions of pounds annually to help people live better lives.

“We couldn’t have made this donation without the support of the Provincial Grand Lodge, but we at St John’s, in Dewsbury, have raised tens of thousands of pounds in recent years for local worthy causes, and we are always happy to receive requests for help and assistance for good causes.

“We know this £5,000 will be the biggest boost the school has had in their money-raising efforts, and we know what a big difference it will make to their current projects.”

Charlotte Gray-Sharpe, fundraising manager, said they were looking to develop the Ravenshall site to create exciting and unique outdoor spaces.

Charlotte said: “Our project is to transform three areas of the site to create spaces that children and young people with additional needs can learn, grow and thrive in.

“The pond and forest area we are currently trying to develop is overgrown and in need of some TLC, but our plan is to change that!

“The most magical thing about the forest fire hut is that pupils work with Eden Forest to build the hut themselves so they have ownership of their environment.

“The sense of achievement the young people will feel designing and constructing the hut will be huge. It will be used for outdoor learning and has its own fire pit which means we can have campfires and enjoy the outdoors whatever the British weather throws at us!

“We are absolutely delighted at being granted the full £5,000 which we need for the forest fire huts project in our pond and forest area.

“And, we cannot thank St. John’s Masonic Lodge enough, particularly John Hudson for their support and belief in this project.”

However, despite this generous cash boost the school are currently looking for funding for the following:

Exploration zone - £2585

Mud kitchen zone - £1233

Wildlife corner - £1680

Physical zone - £4750

Edible hedge - £810

Charlotte added: “If any companies, businesses or individuals would like to support us it would be greatly appreciated.”

For more information about funding the development of the Ravenshall site, contact Charlotte Gray-Sharpe by email at [email protected].