THE parents’ group at a Bingley school has helped to raise cash for a new £8,500 play facility.

Harden Primary School’s Parents’ Teachers and Friends Association (PTFA) helped raise £6,000 towards the total over the last three years.

The play equipment at the Long Lane school will feature a climbing frame, climbing wall and swing ropes and will be used by the Key Stage 2 section of the school, for pupils aged between eight and 11.

The PTFA raised its section of the total by holding a number of events over the last three years including a trail race, Christmas fairs, Mother’s and Father’s Day events and summer barbecues. The remaining cash has came from the school itself and also the company who is building the structure.

All of the school’s 200 pupils, aged between four and 11, have entered a competition to name the new equipment’s climbing frame.

The winner will be announced at an assembly, held to officially unveil the equipment, at the school on Friday, January 6.

Natalie Starr, secretary of Harden Primary School’s PTFA, said the naming competition was inspired by an online vote for the official name of a multi-million pound research vessel initially being RRS Boaty McBoatface.

The £200 million polar research vessel, which will be operational in 2019, was eventually named after TV presenter Sir David Attenborough.

Mrs Starr said the new play equipment will serve as a Christmas gift for then school’s pupil’s when the return after the festive holiday.

She said: “We want to help make sure the children enjoy their time at school as much as possible.

“The work will be completed in the next couple of weeks, so it will be open for when the children come back to school in the New Year.

“It will be a Christmas gift for the children. We have said it will be something that Santa has left them during the school break.

“We wanted to pay for something significant for the school. This has been a long-term saving pot for us. This has been three years’ worth of fundraising by the PTFA. There was a real drive to provide this for the school.

“We decided to run the naming competition after being inspired by Boaty McBoatface.

“We will hold the assembly to name the play equipment, but chances are the children will be allowed to play on it earlier that week.”

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