Member Article

Rolling out the black carpet!

It may be black and not red but there was certainly no ‘drama’ when a Bracknell flooring retailer rolled out the carpet in aid of a school’s fundraising appeal.

Despite recently moving into a Government-funded new building, Brakenhale School in Bracknell was given no additional money to purchase equipment and furniture to go inside.

So, with the equipment from the old school (built in the 1950s) now well past its sell by date, the school started its own fundraising appeal, setting a target of £50,000 to buy items such as new desks, tables and other furniture and fittings.

When staff at the 5,500 square foot Flooring Superstore in Trade City Bracknell heard about the appeal, they got in touch with the school to offer their support. This resulted in the store providing a new carpet free of charge for a drama room in the new school building.

The black carpet, from the store’s Lyon Black range, has been laid in a room used by staff and pupils to carry out assessments and written work related to the drama course.

Anna-Marie Elsey, HR Manager/PA to the Headteacher at Brakenhale School, said: “We were delighted to move into the new school building in January 2020, but the money provided by the Government covered only the construction and nothing else.

“That left us with the prospect of having to move the equipment and furniture from the old building, but the vast majority of it was no longer suitable, having been used for decades.

“We started an appeal to raise £50,000 and thanks to the generosity of local people and businesses, we recently passed the £20,000 mark, which is fantastic.

“Donations of products like the one we recently received from Flooring Superstore have also really helped and in this case it meant we could divert money we would have needed to spend on new carpet for the drama room to other, even more essential resources.

“We would like to thank Flooring Superstore for their support.”

Ian Robinson, Flooring Superstore Regional Manager, said: “We opened the store in Bracknell in 2017 and like all Flooring Superstores in the UK, we always seek to support local good causes when we can.

“When we heard about the new building at Brakenhale potentially having to use outdated, broken and worn equipment and furniture, we didn’t hesitate to offer them flooring for the school.

“We were delighted to be able to donate carpet for the drama room and being able to make our own small contribution to such a worthwhile appeal.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Neil Shaefer .