Pirate galleon docks at Upton Junior School

Upton pirates

Shiver me timbers! A pirate galleon has set sail and docked at Upton Junior School in Broadstairs.

To celebrate the official launch of the wooden ship, pupils and staff dressed as pirates in a sponsored non-uniform day that helped raise £813 for this year’s Children in Need appeal.

Young pirates and Head of School Darci Arthur boarded HMS Upton to check everything was ship-shape before it was declared ‘open’ as one of the school’s most popular outdoor play areas.

Colourful costumes, pirate hats, eye-patches, beards, swords and cutlasses were in evidence as the school took pirate day to its heart for charity.

The play boat complete with Jolly Roger pirate flags, features climbing and play sections on a number of non-slip surfaces below decks and up top.

Miss Arthur said: “It is a fantastic playground feature. It is large, colourful, safe, fun, and children are supervised when they are on board.

“We decided to make our offering for Children in Need a little different this year so we coincided the launch of HMS Upton with our fund raising.

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“Donations came from the non-uniform day and a cake sale and once again we raised a huge amount to help less fortunate children around the UK. A big thanks goes to all our pupils, families and staff for making it such a successful fund raiser.”