Publication Date: 30-01-2025 09:00
Barking homebuilder supports primary school’s fundraising bid for new multi-use games area
Riverside Primary School in Barking has received a £500 donation from local homebuilder Bellway London to support its plans to create a new multi-use games area (MUGA) for pupils.
The school is currently trying to raise £10,000 for the project, which would see the new facility built on land next to its existing playground.
A total of £1,500 has been achieved so far, with Bellway London’s £500 donation adding to the £1,000 that has been raised by the school’s PTA.
Bellway London, which is building new homes at its nearby Fielders Quarter West Circus development in Barking Riverside, has also donated 130 hi-vis jackets to the school for pupils to wear on school trips.
Riverside Primary School is part of the Riverside campus, located off Renwick Road, which also includes a secondary school and Riverside Bridge, a school for pupils with special educational needs.
Tracey Hart, Social Inclusion Officer and Designated Safeguarding Lead at Riverside Primary School, said: “The playground we currently have is quite small and we have to use the secondary school MUGA when we have our school sports day. The new MUGA will provide our children with a dedicated area for playing ball games separate to the existing playground. It will be hugely beneficial for our pupils, especially those who don’t have access to any other sports facilities.
“Bellway’s donation has come in very handy. We’ve still got a fair bit to go but if we are able to secure donations from other companies that will help us to reach our goal.”
Bellway London’s donation of 130 hi-vis jackets will enable the school to keep its growing numbers of children safe on school trips. Riverside Primary School first opened as a one-form entry school in 2015, with two Reception forms in 2020, and three forms from the start of this academic year. It now has around 375 pupils.
Tracey said: “Because we first opened as a one-form entry school we only had a limited number of hi-vis jackets. Now we have more pupils we are going on more school trips and therefore need more hi-vis jackets so we can recognise our pupils and keep them safe.
“This donation from Bellway means that we now have more than enough jackets to go round. We now also have a wider range of sizes to fit pupils of all ages.
“Bellway is going to be a big part of our school life for a long time to come so I think it’s good for the community to see that they are reaching out to us. We really appreciate their support and look forward to building on this relationship in the years ahead.”
Bellway London has previously supported the other schools within the Riverside campus, including donating gingerbread houses to the secondary school’s cooking club, and providing art supplies for pupils at Riverside Bridge School.
Dominic Griffiths, Head of Sales for Bellway London, said: “As a close neighbour of Riverside Primary School, we are very happy to support its continued efforts to provide the best possible experience for its pupils. School trips and physical activity are two extremely important elements of a child’s education so it’s pleasing to know our donations will assist the school in these areas.
“We anticipate building much-needed new homes in Barking Riverside for another decade to come and recognise the importance of having a positive relationship with the schools within the Riverside Campus, all of which are integral to the new community that is forming here.”
Bellway London is building 229 homes at Fielders Quarter West Circus, on land off Fielders Crescent. The development is one of several schemes which are set to see the homebuilder deliver more than 2,300 homes at Barking Riverside by 2028.
Anyone who would like to support the school’s MUGA fundraising appeal can contact Tracey Hart by email at primary@riverside.bardaglea.org.uk.
For more information about the development, visit https://www.bellwaylondon.co.uk/new-homes/north-london/fielders-quarter-west-circus.
