The Mendip School swimming pool

Kids and families from the Mendip School will be doing our 2nd annual Spring Sponsored Walk in Collett Park, Shepton Mallet on Sunday 22 April 2018.
Our campaign is now complete. 105 supporters helped us raise £1,866.00
Visit the charity's profileKids and families from the Mendip School will be doing our 2nd annual Spring Sponsored Walk in Collett Park, Shepton Mallet on Sunday 22 April 2018.
Closed 30/04/2018
The campaign has now expired but it's not too late to support this charity.
Visit the charity's profileThe Mendip School near Shepton Mallet caters for children age 4-19 with autism spectrum disorders and other speech, language, communication problems.The School opened its doors in September 2015 and in September 2016 moved to its purpose built permanent premises in Prestleigh, Somerset. The school worked with the architects to provide a school designed around the needs of children and young people with autism spectrum disorders. Funding from the Free Schools programme for the new premises stopped short of a planned swimming pool complex.
The Friends of the Mendip School PTA began life in March 2016. In April 2016, we held our first sponsored walk and raised almost £700 towards the swimming pool project. The children and families who took part included children with mobility problems and the aim was to have a fun day where children achieved as much as they could according to their abilities. The school has grown again this year and we are hoping for an even bigger turnout.
Swimming is an important life skill for all children, but for children with learning disabilities swimming is particularly important. 9 out of 10 people with an autism spectrum disorder also suffer from sensory problems. Swimming can help to give relief to these and also to the high level of anxiety people with autism often experience.
This school, more than most, needs to have its own swimming pool, but at the moment it relies on hiring external swimming pools and transporting the children to them. On one occasion last year, a group of pupils arrived at the arranged swimming pool only to discover it had been double-booked.
It will take some time to raise the necessary funds for the swimming pool and the PTA reserves the right to use the funds raised for other PTA priorities if for some reason the project doesn't reach completion. We take great confidence from the fact that our sister, the Fosse Way School was able to raise the funds for its swimming pool and we plan to do the same.
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