Hebden Bridge school given refurbishment thanks to DIY SOS day

The school was in need of repair work and without the required budget to carry it out, which is when Friends of Colden School reached out to Tesco Burnley for help.

Using funds from the Tesco Burnley Community Fund, nine volunteers from the store attended to help the school carry out repairs.

These included plastering, fixing leaking drainpipes, clearing blocked playground drains, repairing cracks, sealing window frames, painting walls and fixtures, and fixing toilet flushes.

Jo Mansfield, acting headteacher at Colden School, said: “I would like to say a massive thank you to Mukhtar and the team from Tesco for helping at our DIY day at Colden School.

"I really don’t think we would have got half of the jobs done without his team, who put in so much effort and were happy to be called to different areas where specialist help was required.

“Small schools can often struggle for finance and manpower, so it was really overwhelming to see the support in the lead up to the DIY day and on the actual day. Thank you so much for the difference you have made.”

Colden Junior and Infant School is a small rural school with only 82 pupils.

Michelle, member of Friends of Colden School, said: “What an amazing day we had on our DIY SOS, the atmosphere was amazing. Everyone was so happy and really got a buzz out of giving our school a life and a bit of TLC.

“We had over 50 volunteers helping on the day and we couldn’t be more grateful, and we’d like to give a special thanks to Mukhtar Mirza from Tesco Burnley and his team of nine volunteers, who not only tackled the difficult jobs but did so with a smile and great organisation.

"Team Tesco were first to arrive and put in a huge shift. They made such a big difference to our little school on the hillside and we really appreciate it.”

Friends of Colden School is a parents and teachers association that holds events and raises money to support pupils’ learning and enrich the resources available.

Mukhtar Mirza, community champion at Tesco Burnley, said: “On behalf of the volunteers at Tesco Burnley, we’re so happy to have been a part of this great day.

"All this work truly made a tremendous difference to the school’s outlook and we are pleased to have been able to help bring about the improvements for the benefit of not just the school children but also the local community.”