AVONDALE EXTRA

A LOCAL CHARITY FOR LOCAL CHILDREN

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1094749

IN A NUTSHELL

Avondale Extra was founded in 2002 by local people to benefit the children of Avondale Park Primary School.

The aim of the charity is to broaden the children's experience and create lifelong interests by funding the sort of out of school activities that other children may take for granted. We sponsor extra-curricular activities which include sports, the arts, educational excursions and residential trips.

All the work is done voluntarily and Avondale Extra is proud of the fact that we have no salaries to pay and virtually no overheads.

ABOUT AVONDALE EXTRA

Avondale Extra exists to support the children of Avondale Park and St Anne's Nursery in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Despite provision made by the Borough, many of our children still lack the extras that can make such a difference. The founders identified a real need for a wider education and inspiration for the children and because of the sometimes limited funds of the parents, there is need for support from local people.

It was registered as a charity with the Charity Commission in 2002 number 1094749.

DONATE WITH JUST GIVING

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Avondale Park and St Anne's Nursery has approx 400 pupils aged from 3 to 11 years.

They speak about 42 languages and 71% do not speak English as their first language.

Despite being in one of the wealthiest boroughs in the country, the school lies within an area of tower blocks with one third of our families living in inadequate or overcrowded households with little safe space to play .

Almost one half of our children have special educational, social, emotional or behavioural needs.

Some of our children have never visited the countryside or the coast and some have little or no opportunity to go out of the immediate area. Many have no access to live theatre or music and cannot afford sport and other activities out of school.

DONATE WITH JUST GIVING

AVONDALE EXTRA HAS FUNDED

Annual residential activity weeks for 40 children by the sea

Creation of 3 gardens in the playground:
- a growing garden for fruit and vegetables - a wildlife garden - a quiet garden

Excursions to London museums and other cultural sights

Breakfast Club which provides a healthy breakfast with books, magazines and games before school

Playground and sports equipment

Book corners in each classroom and individual books for children to keep

Visiting music, drama and science workshops

Trips to the theatre, Science museum and pantomime

Expeditions to farms, gardens and London Zoo

River trips and ecology trips to Holland Park

Clubs including cookery and coding, football and drumming, dance, crafts and many others

DONATE WITH JUST GIVING

HOW AVONDALE EXTRA WORKS

Nearly all our generous benefactors live locally and so understand the challenges the school faces and the difference that extras can make in a child's life. We fundraise through appeals by letter and the occasional event at the school. We sometimes receive support from local independent schools.

The committee members meet twice a term to look at the accounts and consider the funding requests from teachers for clubs, trips and projects.

The largest annual commitment is the residential trip for the children at the top of the school (aged 10 and 11) to a centre in the country for 4 days. Each family is asked to contribute a small percentage while Avondale Extra pays the rest including the cost of two coach rides there and back.

For many children this is the first time they have stayed away from home and some have never been to the English countryside or seen the sea.

The cost of the trip is high but the benefits to the children are enormous.

DONATE WITH JUST GIVING

OUTCOMES

By helping to provide a wide variety of clubs, outings, facilities and opportunities for the children, Avondale Extra makes a huge difference to the quality of the children's lives.

We often receive expressive and touching accounts of the children's experiences, thanking Avondale Extra for making it all happen.

Photographs of the annual residential trip not only show some of the physical challenges that the children are given but also the sheer pleasure of being by the sea and in the fresh air with lots of space.

The Gardening Club which takes place in the Fruit and Vegetable Garden provides an opportunity to learn about plants and propagation in a specially built area. The children are able to grow vegetables which they can take home to cook.

Jazz Week, which has been supported by AX for many years, takes place after Year 6' s final exams before they move on to secondary school. Each year we see children learn to enjoy music and performance. We believe that by providing opportunities for exploring new interests and hobbies, we are putting down roots and foundations which can last a lifetime.

DONATE WITH JUST GIVING

PROJECTS

One of our projects was to create a Reading Room. As the school had no library, we wanted to encourage a love of reading by making a space which is welcoming and comfortable.

There is a plan to introduce plants into every classroom. We always have a need for new books to replace old tattered ones and as new ones are published.

Breakfast Club which provides a healthy breakfast for children who might not otherwise get this and for the children of working parents also needs financial support.

DONATE WITH JUST GIVING

GRENFELL

The fire of June 2017 had a truly devastating effect on the school, lying as it does a few hundred metres from Grenfell Tower. Two Avondale families, including a member of staff, lost their lives and 4 families escaped and were in temporary housing for months. Other families were evacuated from nearby housing. Most saw the fire on the night and watched in horror.

As a permanent memorial to Grenfell, we commissioned a large mosaic to cover a wall in the playground. The design is based on our children's drawings of the local area and Grenfell Tower. The words 'Forever in our Hearts,' written about the school by one of our children who died, are included.