Peterborough pre-school receives over £1400 in donations after outdoor area destroyed by vandals

A Peterborough pre-school has received over £1400 in donations after their outdoor area was destroyed by vandals this week.

Stretton Pre-School in Yaxley was the victim of vandalism overnight between the weekend and Monday (August 7-9), which saw two outdoor tables and benches destroyed as well as plants from the herb garden the children had planted pulled up.

During the same period, Lakeside Healthcare at Yaxley and the Co-op on Bentley Avenue were also targeted.

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The incident left the pre-school’s committee of volunteers shocked but they have been blown away by the support they have received from the community.

Pre-School Manager Charlie Baxter set up a GoFundMe page with a target of £250 to try and replace one of the tables but so far, it has raised over £1400 in donations.

She said: “Our staff and children have worked so hard to make the outdoor area what it was so we were shocked and disheartened. Especially during the pandemic, the outside area has become a much more important part of the site.

“The committee has run the pre-school since 1986 and we’ve never had anything like this happen before. We’ve all been young once and made mistakes but this was just spitefulness.

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“The way the community has reached out in the aftermath though has been so overwhelming. It just goes to show that the community spirit is still alive and well in Yaxley and it’s just nice to know so many people care.

“All the money the committee makes is put directly back into the pre-school so we are now able to fix the area up to what it was but also to add to it as well, which is fantastic.”

To support Stretton Pre-School visit: https://uk.gofundme.com/f/replacement-of-garden-equipment.

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