Rotary raises £42,000 to provide new classroom

Wiltshire's Rotary Clubs are delighted to announce they are providing a new mobile classroom to Life Education Centre (Wiltshire). Eleven clubs from across the county raised £12,000 and successfully applied for a grant of £30,000 from the worldwide Rotary Foundation to purchase the new unit.

Life Education provides children aged 4 to 11 years with the knowledge and skills needed to make the right decisions in life. The programme includes education on health, relationships and well-being. LEC Wiltshire works in association with the CORAM charity, schools and parents to deliver a series of sessions linked to the National Curriculum using a specially designed, high-tech mobile classroom and highly trained educators. The mobile classroom and its specialist educators are essential in giving the children an exciting experience and enables difficult topics such as managing risks from exposure to drugs and alcohol, the internet and personal relationships to be addressed in a sensitive and protective environment.

Volunteers from the Rotary Clubs of Royal Wootton Bassett & District, Bradford-on-Avon and Salisbury have been responsible for managing the Wiltshire Life Education “Keeping Children Safe“ programme and for towing and installing the classroom in Wiltshire primary schools for over 20 years. This academic year alone, LEC (Wiltshire) will support nearly 12,000 children in around 80 Wiltshire schools.

Phil Tanner, President of Royal Wootton Bassett & District Rotary Club, commented: "The way the Rotary Clubs in Wiltshire have rallied round to raise the money demonstrates the strong commitment of Rotary to support its local communities. I would like to thank all the clubs who donated to this appeal and especially to thank Richard Everitt who masterminded the successful application for a Global Grant from the Rotary Foundation that has enabled the purchase of the new classroom. This will benefit children across Wiltshire for many years to come."