As everyone is likely to be aware, St John's After School Club is closing its doors after the Easter Holidays, having been part of our community since 1990.   This is extremely sad for everyone who has been involved in the club - employees, children and families alike.   

Unfortunately, the club has experienced significant financial losses as a result of Covid, and as such, when it ceases trading in April faces considerable debt.  Unbeknownst to them, the 11 parents within our school community who agreed to act as the volunteer management committee (a requirement for the running of the club as an unincorporated body) became legally liable for this debt, and will have to pay this money out of their own pockets.  The club has always functioned well over the years, but the pandemic and the consequences due to the structure of the business have proved catastrophic. 

As the PTA for St John’s we would like to make an appeal for donations to help reduce this financial burden: 

• The School itself is unable to provide any financial aid to the club as the ASC is an independent business that cannot receive state funds. The School recognises and appreciates there has been a strong relationship with the community via the parent management committee and this is why the PTA are looking to help.  
• The exact figure of this debt is not currently known as it depends on a number of factors as the club closes and staff are made redundant, but it is already anticipated that it will be far in excess of the £5000 we are looking to raise in this appeal. 
• The volunteer committee members within our school community have already given an incredible amount of time and energy in supporting the running of the club over the years. This is a time of great anxiety for these families, as you can imagine. St John’s is a community school and we want to help our families facing such extraordinary circumstances. 
• With the current restrictions still in place, our usual fundraising methods are limited, therefore we have created this JustGiving page as a simple and easy way to donate money to help reduce the financial deficit. 

The PTA will be organising some other dedicated fundraising activities over the coming months (get ready for Crazy Hair Day sometime next term!). 

The response to our appeal for The St John's Support Fund (supporting families facing financial hardship as a result of Covid) was extraordinary and has made a huge impact for a number of families. It would be wonderful if we could show similar levels of support to the ASC committee members who, through no fault of their own, have found themselves in this incredibly difficult situation. 

We look forward to getting through the tremendous stress this pandemic has brought upon so many, and returning to familiar community events and fundraising goals.

With very best wishes, 

The St John's PTA