A Christmas Thank You to Richmond

Dear Richmond Community,

For Christmas this year, The Vineyard School community gave our school a new library!

With a catchment area reaching from Richmond Hill towards George Street, the Vineyard School is at the heart of the Richmond community.

In early December we issued a call to our full community of parents, local organisations and local companies about the need for our decade old library to be replaced.

We asked for participation in our Christmas Fair as Activity Sponsors, Commercial Sponsors, buying of Christmas Trees or simply attending fair for fun.

Our community pulled through. Combined with revenue from two previous events run in support of the new library, we can now financially support the renovating our library and buying new books. Full financial details will be published on this website shortly.

School staff helped organise and run the event in so many ways, but began by raising the excitement with children and set aside time to work with children to produce a range of items for the fair.

Our parents helped fill the fair with more than 60 highly active stalls. These ranged from Santa's Grotto to crafts, games like "Splat the Reindeer" and "Knock Santa off the Chimney" to tables serving food cooked in the kitchen of families from 22 of the nations represented in our school and much, much more.

Local associations representing Richmond's rich history included the Richmond Society, which offered Tudor Mince Pie making lessons, and the Museum of Richmond, which pulled together a Tudor Experience. The Tudor Experience allowed children to touch Tudor objects, wear costumes and enjoy a live performance of Tudor music. Our local historic homes, Ham House and Syon Park House, both offered free family entry vouchers for silent auction.

Local companies joined in financial sponsorship, offering items for silent auction or tombola, hosting activity stalls at the fair and through the generous loan of equipment during the event. We recognise the support of these companies with grateful thanks in the below list of logos and through posting about them on our Facebook page.

To this broad and generous greater community of Richmond, we speak on behalf of the pupils who will soon enjoy the library you brought them: Thank you!

Thomas Crampton

Co-Chair Vineyard PTA 2017/18