More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A school says it has been overwhelmed by people's reaction after vandals caused damage costing £4,000.
West Minster primary on Sheppey was targeted by a group of youths on New Year's Eve, which left the children's much-loved play equipment trashed.
Glen Harden, owner of Windsor Furniture in Sheerness, this week handed over a cheque for £1,000 to head teacher Steve Davies.
He decided to donate the money after reading about the story on the front page of last week’s Sheerness Times Guardian newspaper.
The 59-year-old, from Minster, said: “I read the article and it said the school was struggling for money and had to ask parents for donations.
“It didn’t necessarily make me feel angry about what the kids had done, it just made me feel sorry for the school.
“If they had to go, cap in hand, to the parents to ask for help and then go back to school after Christmas and find £1,000 worth of damage, I just feel sorry for the predicament some of these head teachers are in trying to run these schools.”
Mr Harden, who has run his New Road business for 36 years, was also a pupil at West Minster.
“I’ve still got fond memories of it,” he said.
“I also think that at that age, children are very impressionable so if they see something bad happen it’s good for them to then see someone had rectified it.”
It is not the first time Mr Harden has stepped in to help.
His firm donated and fitted a kitchen, worth £6,000, at the home of Kyle and Garry Ratcliffe for the BBC DIY SOS team in October 2016.
“We do put something back into the community every now and again,” Mr Harden said.
Martin Walker, who has been West Minster Primary’s site manager for 27 years, said the school had been “absolutely overwhelmed” by the response it had received from Islanders.
“It’s been so upsetting but with donations like this gentleman’s, it’s just so overwhelming and we cannot say thank you enough.”
The Sheerness branch of Nationwide is also doing a collection for the school and a JustGiving page has been set up to raise £1,500 to help with the cost of replacing and repairing the damage – thought to total about £4,000.
Mr Walker said: “It makes you feel like crying - people have just been so positive about it.”
