Raising essential funds for Whitchurch on Thames Pre-School

For almost 30 years, Whitchurch Pre-School has provided a nurturing start for local children, which we want future generations to enjoy. Unfortunately due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have lost nearly £20,000 of income in the last three months, a quarter of our annual turnover. We are therefore asking for public donations to help keep the Pre-School going during this volatile time.

While our doors have been closed we have continued to provide a virtual Pre-School, running daily sessions and keeping our children entertained and connected to their friends. We are now planning to slowly re-open but have a limit on the number of children we can welcome back and the hours we can provide. This impacts heavily on our fee income (£14,000 to date) and we do not know when we will be able to operate as normal again.

As a voluntary parent-run Pre-School, we are heavily dependent on fundraising events. We have had to cancel all major fundraising events this Spring & Summer (approx. £6,000), including the much anticipated WhitFest 2020. This is an enormous blow, and even now we simply don't know when our usual fundraising events and activities will be able to resume.

The financial challenges due to Covid-19 most directly impact our ability to replace our existing ageing building. With repair costs increasing each year, we need to push on with this project before it becomes too much of a burden for the current parent body to support in fees.

As such a large project, with long lasting benefits for many young families over the next 25 years or more, we are looking to our local community to support us with this effort. Please see whitchurchpreschool.org/newbuild for more information.

By donating to the Pre-School, you will be helping our Parent Committee bring this project to fruition.

The Pre-School is an important asset to the village, playing a key role in keeping the community thriving. We are very grateful for any donation. Thank you so much for supporting our cause.

Whitchurch on Thames Pre-School Committee