It’s full speed ahead for a school in Gloucestershire after a Save our Minibus appeal was launched at the start of the year.

The appeal is on behalf of Southrop C of E Primary School, a small school in the heart of the Cotswolds, with the aim being to raise £15,000 by mid-March so they can buy the 17-seater minibus they currently lease.

And the organisers are on track because just over a month into their appeal they are more than halfway towards their target.

The 38-pupil school currently leases the minibus, a lease that runs out on Wednesday 12^th March and, going forward, it is financially more viable for the school to buy the bus.

The minibus is a big part of everyday school life – Southrop is a small village four miles east of Fairford – and Rachel O’Neill, vice-chair of the PTA, said:  “The minibus is a lifeline for the children to access daily activities to enrich their learning.”

That includes sport, of course, and the school certainly has plenty to shout about in that field.

“We have been fortunate to achieve some great successes in sport,” said O’Neill. “Years 5 and 6 represented the school in a local girls’ cricket tournament in the summer while a small group of children attended the district sports athletics.

“Harriett Morris (year 5) was first in the long jump, Southrop came second in the relay and we had students in the sprint finals.”

But it’s not just sport that benefits from the minibus.

“It’s used for forest school, swimming lessons and sports meetings as well as collaborative events with other local schools,” continued O’Neill.

“The cultural education of pupils is also greatly enhanced by visits to local libraries, the wind farm and competitive and mock trials at Cheltenham courtrooms.”

The school is celebrating its 175^th anniversary this year and they have a big supporter in former Olympic swimmer Cassie Patten.

Patten, who won a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games in the 10K open-water event, is a parent at the school, a PTA member and a school governor.

“The school is a hidden gem,” said O’Neill. “It’s very small but it’s got a special dynamic.

“The younger children look up to the older ones and the older ones take them under their wing, there’s a real family feel to the school.”

And the children are certainly playing their part in the minibus appeal.

“They’ve made a video to save their minibus,” said O’Neill, who added that the PTA are seeking both sponsorship from local businesses and financial support from local groups.

“Within school, the children and their families are also undertaking the mammoth task of raising funds to save the minibus, including sponsored bike rides, walks, cake and drinks sales, dog training, read-a-thons and more,” she said.

To see the children’s video, visit https://fb.watch/xnjC25EFXM/

To support the school’s minibus appeal or find out more, contact Kelly Smith, PTA chair, at PTA@southrop.gloucs.sch.uk or visit http://gofund.me/bc8c37fc