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Last academic year saw the Lambrook Community working together to raise funds for The Lambrook Foundation, with a main focus area being our Partnership School in South Africa, Hope Valley Farm School. Lambrook has partnered with Hope Valley School for a number of years now and has more recently, raised funds for a new minibus, enabling the school to collect children from surrounding farms as well as being able to take pupils on trips and to play sport in different locations.

At the start of 2024, Lambrook launched a new fundraising project – ‘raising the roof’ for an outdoor shelter for the school community to gather together for assemblies, lessons, sport, performances and community events. Hope Valley Farm School has a few classrooms, but when they have assemblies or larger lessons, they need to meet outside. Although the weather is significantly more reliable than the UK (!), when it does rain, the children are unable to gather together and have some of their lessons.

The Lambrook Community kicked off their fundraising with a Parent Teacher Quiz and then many events and initiatives followed; parents and pupils baked and sold cakes, parents and staff cycled to Paris in three days, and pupils, parents and staff swam continuously for 24 hours! In addition, there were sports tournaments and smaller events, resulting in the proposed shelter, now being a reality for the school.

“As a rural farm school, we have eagerly awaited this project for the past 7 years. Currently, we have an open sandy area and we are really lacking a suitable space to meet as a school. This new venue will not only provide shelter from the elements but will also serve as a sports facility during bad weather, and a rehearsal space for our dance and choir groups. We are thrilled about the opportunities that it will create.” Headteacher, Hope Valley School

Hope Valley is a school situated on Buckshaw Brow Farm in Estonm Kwa Zulu Natal in South Africa. Founded in 1972, the school aims to provide an excellent education for the children in the disadvantaged communities in the area, specifically for the children of farm labourers (sugar cane cutters), living in compounds near the school. Most of the nearby farming families are illiterate and so by starting the school, the children and their families have benefitted enormously.