LEARNING supposedly knows no bounds. And the children at St Peter’s tiny Pre-School and CofE Primary in Cassington are hoping the Jubilee Fund will give them some much-needed space to grow.

Currently, the pre-school’s 16 children occupy a temporary building, just seven by 10 metres in size.

But the school’s fundraising committee has just committed itself to an ambitious campaign to build a new foundation unit at the school – and they are hoping the Jubilee Fund for Oxfordshire, which launched in April to offer financial help to struggling community groups, will get the ball rolling.

Fundraising committee member, and parent Julie Bignone, 37, said: “This is an extremely important project for our whole community.

“The pre-school is currently in temporary accommodation and very vulnerable to fluctuation in numbers, due to the limitations of its space.

“But a new unit would give them the space they need and also allow the primary school to increase capacity once the Foundation Year children have their own space to learn in.”

The Diocese of Oxford has agreed to pay 90 per cent of the £600,000 needed to fund the new foundation building project, but the fundraising committee must raise the remaining £25,000 by March.

The Jubilee Fund for Oxfordshire was set up in April to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee and is raising money to support small local groups and projects, which are struggling in the financial climate.

Last month, the Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF), which is steering the fund, announced it would be making a series of £5,000 Diamond grants.

Julie Bignone said: “A Diamond grant, indeed any donation, would be hugely important for us at the moment – getting our fundraising kickstarted and also showing the Diocese that we are serious about making this happen.”

  • Anyone interested in fundraising for the St Peter’s School project or offering sponsorship is asked to contact Julie Bignone on 07980 589824
  • Charities and community groups that want to be considered for a Diamond Grant should email their details and a brief synopsis of their work to diamond@oxfordshire.org or post to Oxfordshire Community Foundation, 3 Woodin’s Way, Oxford, OX1 1HD.
  • To donate to the Jubilee Fund or to fundraise on its behalf, email jubilee@oxfordshire.org, call 01865 798666, or drop into OCF’s offices at 3 Woodins Way, Oxford. Alternatively, donate by phone by texting JBLE 12 to 70070 with a donation.