Friends of Chase Bridge

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Welcome to the Friends of Chase Bridge (FOCB) page!

Friends of Chase Bridge is our school PTA; it is a registered charity* that brings together parents, staff, pupils and the local community. As parents, carers or guardians of children at the school or staff members, you are automatically a part of FOCB and we look forward to welcoming you at our events!

*charity number 1014044

 

Our Mission

To support the school and the local community through targeted activities that enrich the lives of the children, their families and our community as a whole.

 

What we do

Bringing the community together: The FOCB team aim to enhance the experience families have during their time at our school. We seek to bring the wider school community together through engaging, entertaining, informing and fundraising! Whether it’s our big fairs in the Summer and at Christmas, our fun discos or the annual quiz night, we work to grow the sense of community across the year.

Fundraising: We raise valuable funds for Chase Bridge that the school use to support key projects and buy additional resources. Recent projects include the wonderful new play equipment in the back playground and for Nursery, new desks and chairs in classrooms and the refurbishment of the school library. 

The FOCB team works year-round to organise enjoyable fundraising events and we aim to raise over £20,000 each year.

Communication: FOCB also acts as a valuable link in communications between parents and the school staff. Each class has their own representative that helps to provide links between parents and the teacher. Class reps meet termly with the headteacher to discuss the latest news.

 

So how does it work?

The Friends of Chase Bridge committee are a group of parents, carers and guardians who have volunteered to get involved to help raise money for the school and bring the school community together. Some people are heavily involved, others less so. Most of all, it is a group of people who want to make a difference to the school and our children’s experience.

Throughout the year, we run a series of fun events that help to strengthen the relationships for all parents, carers, staff and children: discos, Summer and Christmas Fairs, Easter egg hunts, sponsored Bounceathon, World Book Day events and more! And throughout the year we work with the school to identify things we can invest in, (books, playground equipment, furniture, workshops etc.) ensuring that every penny we raise goes to funding more great stuff that fulfils our ambition – to enrich the lives of the children.

 

Can I get involved?

Yes!

We want to make our PTA as inclusive and collaborative as it can be, enhancing all of our shared experience of school. We welcome everyone to come to an FOCB meeting, to take on a specific role, become a Class Rep or join our Events team. If you would like to join the Committee, or find out more about it, please email Katie at chasebridgepta@gmail.com.

We recognise that this is not for everyone and we know that many of us simply do not have the time. Here are some simple ways we welcome your involvement, which will still make a big difference:

• Responding to your class rep’s requests
• Coming along and supporting our organised events
• Volunteer to help for an hour at one of our events when the requests come out
• Support your year group’s cake sale which will happen once during the year
• Help us find sponsors or raffle prizes for the big events in our calendar

You don’t need to commit to anything ongoing, but any little help that you might be able to offer is always hugely appreciated. We really hope we can create ways for you to be involved!

If you'd like to find out more about what the FOCB team are doing currently then take a look at our Facebook page by clicking here, or drop us an email at chasebridgepta@gmail.com

 

Fundraising Target 2024/25

Last year, we were able to support the funding for exciting playground improvements as well as replacing the classroom furniture across the school. We are currently working with the school to determine priorities for fundraising this year, and we hope to raise in excess of £20,000.

So, let’s roll our sleeves up and raise as much money as we can in order to support our wonderful school and children.

Here you can see a snapshot of our activities from 2023/24.

 

 

The committee

The Friends of Chase Bridge are parents of children at the school who give up some of their time and effort to run events and activities that benefit our children, build a school community, and raise money for the school.

Chair - Katie Lyall

The Chair provides leadership for the committee ensuring all FoCB business is properly debated and agreements reached. The Chair also works closely with the key committee members to ensure that the association is run effectively. The Chair works closely with the school.

Event Lead - Jenny Jenner and Assistant Event Lead - Tiffany Patel

Supporting individual event teams - the Events Manager will work with the FoCB Committee, school and wider community to assist in the successful delivery of both fund raising events and events which will enrich the experience of the children.

Treasurer - Stephen Furze

The Treasurer manages the bank account and produces all financial papers. They prepare floats for our events, help count and record our income and manage payments in line with our policies.

Class Rep Co-ordinator - Vanessa Tonkin

The Class Reps Co-ordinator must be approachable, a good listener, organised, assertive, fair and a good communicator who is willing to put forward the views of the people they represent.

General Committee Members: Tori Holcomb, Ivana Charvatova, Lydia Roberts, Yvonne Choat, Susie Higgs, Rachel Furze, Annette Wheeler, Daniela Mingham, Gemma Hackett, Josie Cuzens and Pip Johnston.

Additional Events Team Volunteers: Angie Neo and Martin.

 

AGM Minutes

Minutes from 2024 AGM available here.

 

Class Reps - 2024 to 2025