CHILDREN and their parents have jumped, cycled, run, cartwheeled and danced their hearts out to raise money for a village pre-school hit by the Coronavirus pandemic.
High Legh Pre-School Nursery, near Lymm, which has been part of the community for more than half a century, is facing an uncertain future after having to temporarily close its doors following the Covid-19 outbreak.
The much-loved nursery, which is run by a parent-led committee, has missed out on thousands of pounds of income normally raised through its fundraisers held over the spring and summer months.
As a registered charity, it also doesn’t qualify for many of the Government grants put in place to help businesses who cannot operate during the pandemic.
To help ensure the pre-school can reopen, families took part in the 2.6 Challenge – a national fundraising initiative that took place on April 26 to support charities affected by the Coronavirus.
From 26-minute danceathons and 2.6km cycles to 26 bounces on a trampoline, children and their parents took part in a myriad of weird and wonderful challenges, which all involved the number 26.
Children also baked cakes for their elderly neighbours and for NHS staff working in the Intensive Care Unit at Wythenshawe Hospital.
Kate Prasad, chair of the pre-school committee, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has really hit our pre-school hard. The safety of our staff and children will always be our priority, but like a lot of other nurseries, we are losing money every day that we are closed and this just isn’t sustainable in the long-term.
“Our staff have been furloughed, but the limited support that we can claim from the Government still doesn’t cover all our running costs, plus we have had to cancel all the fundraising events that we’d normally hold over the spring and summer months, leaving a black hole in our finances.
“We’ve launched a major fundraising drive to help ensure we can re-open our doors when it’s safe to do so, and the children and parents have been fantastic taking on the 2.6 Challenge. We’ve had cartwheeling mums, star-jumping kids, sponsored bike rides, marathon-distance runs, bakeathons and even dance-offs on our driveways to try and raise as much money as we can.
“The support of our families and the local community in High Legh has been amazing and it’s so heartwarming to see everyone pulling together during our hour of need and we’ve witnessed some real displays of community spirit.
“Our pre-school has been at the heart of the village for more than 50 years, so to see it close would be devastating for the whole community and we’d urge people to continue to get behind us and help save our pre-school.”
Before the Coronavirus hit, High Legh Pre-School Nursery, which is located on Pheasant Walk, had some exciting plans for expansion in the pipeline, which included opening a brand-new baby room this spring, providing care for babies from just six months old.
The pre-school committee and parents are planning to hold a series of fundraisers over the coming months.
To donate to High Legh Pre-School Nursery and help ensure it can reopen, visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/highleghpreschool26challenge
Pictures show Sisters Sennen and Kendal Ryan are helping to raise money to save their pre-school and (top) Kate Prasad and daughters Edie and Lily danced on their driveway for 26 minutes for their 2.6 Challenge
