A housebuilder has donated money to help the Foreland Fields Charity in Ramsgate create a ‘Field of Dreams’ for pupils at the special school.
Vistry Kent, which is building homes nearby at Linden Homes’ Westwood Point development, has given £750 to the charity as it seeks to raise the funds to provide an outdoor sports facility for pupils at Foreland Fields School.
The charity was gifted land at the back of the school in Newlands Lane by Kent County Council, which also gave £755,000 funding to enable the installation of a sports pitch with a new access road and utilities and security fencing also put in place.
For the next phase the charity is trying to raise £450,000 to build a pavilion on the site which will be used by the 250 pupils at the school, aged between three and 19, who have profound, severe and complex needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
Jeremy Edwards, deputy head at Foreland Fields School, said: “The charity is very closely associated with our school and the students here have named the project the ‘Field of Dreams’.
“This facility will provide a safe outdoor environment for them to develop a wide range of skills through activities such as football, athletics, cycling, music, drama and art projects. We also aim to provide a horticultural patch and a small woodland area on the site which will act as a ‘forest school’ where pupils can learn about gardening and connecting with nature.
“We need to raise the money to fund the building of the pavilion which will be used as a training and education space and a changing area for the pupils. This will be a tremendous asset for the school and will enable our pupils to access a host of outdoor activities that they would normally be excluded from due to their special needs.
“This facility will also be used by a range of partner organisations outside of working hours which means that hundreds of children and young people from Foreland Fields and from other special schools in the area will have access to a range of clubs and activities, reducing social exclusion and improving their physical and mental health.
“We are very grateful to Vistry Kent for their help and support and this donation which will help us build towards our target.”
Vistry Kent is part of Vistry Group, which includes Linden Homes, Bovis Homes and Vistry Partnerships. Vistry Kent is building new homes under the Linden Homes brand at Westwood Point.
Millie Groves, marketing manager at Vistry Kent, said: “The ‘Field of Dreams’ is an amazing project and one that we are happy and proud to support. Foreland Fields School does an amazing job to support, help and teach youngsters with special educational needs.
“It is great to hear that this outdoor facility will not only cater for the pupils of the school but will also be used, on evenings, weekends and holidays, by other groups in the community which also support people with specialist needs.”
For more information about the new homes at Westwood Point visit lindenhomes.co.uk.
