HUNDREDS of votes have helped Heddington Pre-school win a grant from The OneFamily Foundation for £5,000 following an appeal in the Gazette and Herald.

Pupils and teachers at the pre-school near Calne were featured last month as they looked to build support for their plans to build a new outdoor play area with the grant after receiving 400 votes.

The community-led preschool will use the money to refurbish and expand its outside area and train staff to help it attain Forest School status.

The pre-school will work with Heddington primary school and the parish council to create a safe and stimulating play area.

OneFamily customer and parent at the pre-school, Amanda Jenkins, applied for the funding through the OneFamily foundation.

She said: “Education through play, especially practical outside activities, provides a foundation for learning which all children can benefit from.

“The new outdoor space is going to be an absolute delight for the children and will open up greater learning opportunities for them too. On behalf of the pre-school, I would like to say thank you to everyone who voted for us to receive the OneFamily award.”

OneFamily is a mutual organisation and a portion of its profits are redistributed by the OneFamily Foundation, which intends to make £5m available to customers over the next five years to help them, their families and their local communities.

Leanne Weston, Heddington Pre-school manager, said the grant would enable them to incorporate more outdoor learning and purchase special outdoor resources.

Anna Drabble, head of community at OneFamily, said: “Not only will this provide a wonderful play space for the children, it also helps the school’s potential to inspire for the longer-term through its aim to achieve Forest School status.”

The OneFamily Foundation have a second round of funding available in September with four awards of £25,000 and 15 of £5,000 available for community groups across the UK. To find out more click here.