Latest news – November 2018:
We have been successful in our bid to access the Co-op Local Community Fund to help support our ‘Revamp Our Underpass’ project!
If you are a Co-op member, please consider our campaign!
We are aiming to raise £1500 to revamp our underpass.
We already raised approx £500 in session 2017-18 (thank you to our generous donors!) so our new target is to raise a further £1000 this academic year to allow us to begin painting.
If you, or anyone you know, would be willing to apply for community funding on our behalf, please get in touch with Mrs Degnan via the school office – she would be very glad for any help you may provide.
In the meantime, here’s what we started in 2017-18:
Our Primary 7 pupils would like to invite the local community to join with them as they embark on an exciting new project, which all started during a recent Health and Wellbeing lesson.
They have been following the PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) Programme for Schools, during which, pupils were asked to think about how they could help to improve their local environment. One idea proved immediately popular when it was mentioned, “Maybe we could paint the underpass?”
Our pupils reported that the underpass, which many of them regularly use to safely cross Bridge of Weir Road had been vandalised and that some of the lights were no longer working. They stated that it was quite dull and that the grounds round about it were overgrown and needing cleaned up a bit.
At the start of March 2018, we managed to secure permission from Renfrewshire Council Roads Department to go ahead with our project and now need to raise approximately £1500, which would allow us to do the art work, seal it, tidy up and tend to the undergrowth of the immediate area. Renfrewshire Council gave us advice and Community Payback agreed to pressure wash, seal, tidy up and undercoat it, which would allow us to commence painting. Within weeks, Renfrewshire Council had already fixed the broken lights and our social media shares had started to work – thank you to our generous parents, local people and Houston Community Council for their donations so far. Houston Bee Happy have also said they would help us with the gardening of the surrounding area, we were very grateful for this kind offer!
We would like to make this a true community partnership, through which all local residents can benefit. In March 2018, we invited local pupils to enter our competition to design the underpass and we were overwhelmed by the number and quality of entries.
Our Primary 7 pupils shortlisted their favourite ideas then invited P.7 from Houston Primary to vote with them on the winning theme, which was “Astronomy”. Primary 7s from both schools came together in April for a teambuilding transitions event. Part of the day’s tasks involved collaborating to design an astronomy-themed mural for the underpass.
Staff and pupils of both primaries and Gryffe High are now working together to promote our fundraising campaign and to arrange for some talented artists to get involved with the initial transfer of the design onto the walls and ceiling.
We intend to keep the local community informed through our school website and social media, so look out for appeals for funding, artists, painters, gardeners etc. over the coming months!
