Staff and pupils at Orchard Manor School, a Special Educational Needs school located in Dawlish, were overjoyed to welcome visitors to the grand reopening of the new and improved Forest School.
The beloved outdoor learning space was burned to the ground last October in an arson attack suspected to be the work of a group of youths; one thing is for certain however, it was a cowardly act and one that left everyone at Orchard Manor deeply disturbed and upset.
Following this almost unbelieviable news, members of the local community rallied around the school and supported its fundraising efforts; the goal of which was to rebuild the Forest School bigger and better than before.
Donations came in thick and fast from near enough everyone who heard of the misfortune - parents, staff, local residents, local councillors, contractors and a long list of others.
A GoFundMe page set up by the school raised over £3,500.
It was with great joy, therefore, that the staff and pupils of Orchard Manor welcomed visitors to the official reopening of the Forest School.
Visitors were shown around the premises, a mug of hot chocolate in hand, and were invited to enjoy a roasted marshmallow aside the fire.
The school then unveiled a plaque, made out of a slice of log, which had the names of all the people who supported the project - forever immortalising them in wood.
Regarding the Forest School reopening Chris Leeds, Forest School Instructor, said:
‘We were amazed and hugely grateful for the support we received from the local community, family and friends throughout the rebuild project
‘The support was overwhelming, from the fundraising to the help recreating the fantastic space for our pupils to be able to enjoy once again
‘The highlight of the project was seeing the pupils’ faces when they were first introduced to the new tree house - and seeing this reaction makes the whole project worthwhile and reminds you what all the hard work is for.’