Windows in our village have been decorated with beautiful festive scenes in support of the reopening of a local school, closed in 2018.
The festive extravaganza, orchestrated by local resident, Jaimie Patrick-Abbot, and financially supported by the Ripley Business Association has seen the talented artist, Aga Skaba, commissioned to paint windows along the High Street. The result is a magical masterpiece that children and families will love to see.
The Friends of Ripley School along with Ripley Business Association are seeking support to raise money to protect and re-open the village school which was abruptly closed in 2018 despite having 150 pupils amongst a growing local population. Catherine Leeson, of the Friends said: “The Friends of Ripley School are immensely grateful to the Ripley Business Association for supporting this campaign and for recognising the value of our village school site for the whole community.”
Ripley village is a beautiful place for families to live or visit and at Christmas they go to town with wonderful Christmas lights that line the High Street, a Christmas Fair on Sunday 5th December and now these festive works of art.
More than ten businesses in the village have got involved, with scenes depicting scenes from a Dickensian Christmas, with each scene including hidden characters for local children to find; collecting the set allows them to enter a competition to win prizes.
Why are we raising funds for the school?
Ripley is a vibrant and popular village but since the closure of its primary school in 2018, parents have been forced to travel further afield to find school places for their children. The Friends of Ripley Primary School have maintained the school site to a high standard since its closure and are continuing to campaign for the re-opening of the village school for the benefit of local children.
Despite the school’s closure the site continues to be a community asset. Currently it is used as a vital space for an array of activities including Pre-school, ballet, dance, drama, tennis, yoga, Mother and Toddler Group and the Over 60’s meet-ups. The Friends and local residents ensured it opened its doors to a nearby village primary school during the Pandemic last year, allowing their Year 5 pupils to be taught in a safe environment.
With the expectation of new housing developments in the neighbourhood more primary school places will be needed in the near future. The Ripley Business Association along with the Friends group are seeking your support to ensure that we can continue to protect this site and that it is here and ready for use by the children of our village.
Donations will support the upkeep and protection of the building and site so that it can be used as a primary school once more.
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ripleychristmasvillage
For further information about the school site and the future plans, please visit - http://ripleyschooltrust.org.uk.
