Year 2 children at Cantref Primary School in Abergavenny held the grand opening of their snack shack last Friday (May 5).

They were joined by various guests who had helped with the project – namely Mrs Vicky Ballard (PTA Chair) who funded part of the project, Mr Steve Lesbirel (from Bbi) who purchased new tables, Mr Chris Binley who built the new seating and Mr Paul Wadsworth who represented the governing body.

The children sang the fundraising song which they had written and the class school council representative Freya Commons thanked all the guests for attending.

The project was partly funded by the PTA and partly by a Gofundme crowd funding page which was set up by the children in Year 2. The children were instrumental at every stage - from design, fund-raising and research to product costing, purchasing and even organising the opening ceremony.

The purpose of the project was to provide a safer place for all the children to sit and eat their snacks rather than wandering around the yard, but the finished area will also provide an additional learning space for the benefit of the whole school.

Mrs Alison Francis, Year 2 class teacher, said, “I am so proud of all the children. They have invested a lot of time and energy in this project and have always been full of enthusiasm.

“They are now really looking forward to using this new area and because of their leading role, they have an increased sense of ownership over decisions made in school.”

Headteacher Mr Richard Brunsdon added, “The snack shack is a great example of pupils, parents, staff and the community working together to provide a wonderful area for our children at Cantref to use.

“The children were delighted by the benches and seating area and cannot wait to use it on a daily basis.

“I am very lucky to work with such passionate teachers and support staff, amazing children and very supportive parents and PTA.”

The Year 2 children and staff would like to say a very big thank you to everyone who made such generous donations either directly, in time or materials, or via the gofundme page and financial contributions.