A PRE-SCHOOL hit by a devastating flood is urgently appealing for money to help it get back on its feet.

King’s Sutton pre-school near Banbury closed when lockdown was announced in March, and it was upon reopening in May, that it was discovered that there had been a flood at the site.

The pre-school was already raising money for refurbishments when that money had to be spent on fixing the damage the flood had made.

The community has rallied round though and so far, over £3,500 out of a £5,000 target has been raised.

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Laura Knowles, a parent and committee member at the pre-school, said: “When the Government said nurseries could reopen, staff discovered that a pipe had burst under the kitchen sink and flooded everywhere as it’s all open-plan.

“Everything was under a couple of inches of water and lots of equipment had to be chucked away.

“The pre-school came to an agreement with the primary school that it could work out of temporary accommodation but this has limited space and resources, and come September the school can’t offer that space anymore.

“The pre-school had been looking at refurbishing the building before all this anyway as the heating wasn’t working and there were a few other things that needed doing.

“We were already fundraising anyway for the refurbishments and doing so many activities, then the flood hit.”

Oxford Mail:

Infrastructure at the pre-school, including electronics, floors, doors and kitchen units have been damaged beyond repair, and need replacing, as does furniture and play equipment.

Since discovering the flood, the pre-school has been working out of a post-war HORSA hut in the grounds of King’s Sutton Primary Academy.

HORSA huts were introduced after the compulsory education age was raised to 15 through the Education Act 1944.

The huts were put up to accommodate the extra volume of pupils at school, as well as to replace the buildings destroyed during the Second World War and to take into account the post-war baby boom.

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“We had events planned but coronavirus has put a halt to anything taking place in the community so the JustGiving page will hopefully get some extra money coming in,” said Mrs Knowles.

“Loads of people and local businesses have been making big donations which means it’s going really well, way better than expected.

“The generosity really has been overwhelming.

“The flood has been devastating as it’s made the building unusable and builders can’t get on site until the school closes for summer.

“We’re still hoping to reopen in September in a nicely refurbished building.”

Oxford Mail:

Mrs Knowles, 39, said that although the pre-school is set to receive an insurance payout, this will only cover repairs relating to the flood damage and won’t be enough to get things back to normal.

The pre-school was rated ‘outstanding’ in its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2016, as it was in July 2010 too.

To donate to the JustGiving page, please visit: justgiving.com/campaign/Kingssuttonpreschool