Damage caused by a disastrous lockdown flood results in a transformational makeover for a Banbury area playgroup

The emergency presented the voluntary committee of the playgroup with a big challenge as they faced raising thousands of pounds to put matters right.

However the goodwill of families, the village and some very supportive businesses has meant the playgroup has been able to begin 2022 with a transformed space for play and education.

Chairman of the playgroup committee, Emma Brock, said: "We have done a lot of fundraising and have been donated seeds and plants from people in the village as well as from Martin and Debbie Shaw from the village gardening company.

"We want to say a very big thank you to TGM Landscaping who have transformed both our gardens at a very reduced rate as their donation. All the internal work and the building damage was covered by school's insurance but we've had a huge amount of support from the community for the rest of the work and we are incredibly grateful."

The playgroup has had its roof replaced and the building has been cladded. The rear garden has been cleared and redesigned and a new sensory garden has been established. There are also new patio doors to the garden areas.

The fundraising team set up a Just Giving page which raised £5,275 and a family with a child at the playgroup donated a further £4,500 from a sponsored run. At Christmas 2020 the group held a Christmas trail and a festive raffle,

In the past year the group held a Tropics makeup evening and a Smarties fundraiser to add to the fund. And generous Funky Pants ran a special session for the preschool raising a further £300. Add to that the proceeds of a 'sponsored ale' at the local pub, The Butcher's Arms, and three years of scarecrow festivals and the committee had enough to pay for the extensive works.

Our before and after photographs show the huge achievement of all those involved.