Rogart Primary School in the money after MFR Challenge win
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A TINY Sutherland primary is celebrating after beating schools of much larger size in a fundraising challenge.
Rogart Primary School, which has just 28 pupils on its roll including four at nursery, was last week named as winners of the Moray Firth Radio’s Cash for Kids Schools Challenge.
The initiative involved six selected schools competing to make as much money for themselves as possible in two weeks with the chance to win £3000.
Rogart faced stiff competition from schools in Inverness and elsewhere. An additional difficulty was that they were also unable to hold traditional fundraisers such as ceilidhs and coffee mornings because of Covid-19.
But the enterprising pupils came up with a range of money making ideas including a raffle, art auction, sponsored walk and cycle ride and car wash.
They were also well supported with donations from individuals and community groups.
The school managed to raise raise £7519 and was announced as winner on air last week by Moray Firth Radio morning presenters Dan Gilchrist and Grace Nicoll.
Parent Teacher Association (PTA) representative Caroline Lewis was asked on air for the school’s reaction and said: “We are absolutely blown away by everything.”
Teacher Ann Mackay later told the Northern Times: “The whole school are so very grateful to the whole community including the gala week and community council for their generous donations.
“We are also hugely impressed and delighted with all the individuals in our community who donated so hugely and quickly in such a short timescale.
“We would like to say a special thank you to Mr Laurent Hild of Tressady Estate s we would never have won without his kind donation.
“So often we were met by people who thrust tenners in our hands with the words here’s something for the bairns, and it all added up to £7519.
“We are so privileged to have our wee school in Rogart, there is nowhere like it and we love it!"
With the money they have raised and their £3000 prize, the school now has more than £10,000 to spend.
MFR presenters Grace and Dan asked Caroline Lewis on air what the school intended to use the money for.
She responded: “We want to do something outside. We are surrounded by beautiful nature here.
"We want to maybe establish a forest school with a multi-sensory garden and try and get the community involved in what we create, because they have been amazing in supporting us.”
