Skydive for Doncaster school playground

Edenthorpe Hall Academy admin assistant Laura Bardell smashed her fundraising target to raise £1,217 for ‘Project Playground’ – a campaign to raise £20,000 for a newly designed outdoor playground.

Laura did a sponsored 120mph tandem freefall skydive down to a dropzone on an old World War II airfield in Hibaldstow, bringing the fundraising total to £8,000, almost halfway to reaching the target.

Jonathan Moody, principal at Edenthorpe Hall Academy, which is part of the Astrea Academy Trust, said: “We can’t thank Laura enough, she an excellent role model for the children. Giving up her time to take on this challenge in order to fundraise for our new playground is amazing.

“The sponsorship money Laura has raised brings us so much closer to providing our children with a fit for purpose playground they can use day in day out. A big thank you to everyone who donated.”

Laura Bardell, Edenthorpe Hall Academy admin assistant, said: “I decided to do the sky dive to raise money for our wonderful school. The children at Edenthorpe Hall are amazing and they deserve to have a playground that is exciting!”

Local businesses have already signed up to support the campaign – including United Carpets and Unilap.

Libby Nicholas, Chief Executive of the Astrea, said: “Our commitment at Astrea is that every one of our academies will provide an education that inspires beyond measure. Alongside academic learning, this means also focusing on encouraging the growth of a child’s character and personality. Outdoor adventures are absolutely vital to this.

“Education goes way beyond the classroom and I’m proud to see Jonathan and his team making this a reality for Edenthorpe Hall pupils.”

Visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/Edenthorpe