Bank’s boost for talented St Crispin’s

A special school in the Capital is celebrating after winning thousands of pounds to transform and upgrade their art department.

St Crispin’s School on Watertoun Road beat off stiff competition from charity groups across the region to land £5000 from Lloyds Banking Group’s Community Fund.

St Crispin’s provides education for both primary and secondary aged pupils while also meeting the additional support needs of pupils with severe and complex learning difficulties, many of whom are on the Autistic Spectrum.

The school was awarded the funding after finishing in the top two in a public vote organised by the bank and Heather Lucchesi, the school’s art teacher, could not hide her delight at the success.

“It is just brilliant that we won the vote and have been given the money,” she said. “We are over the moon. This money will allow our pupils to use professional equipment they have never used before and to push the boundaries of their creativity.

“Instead of being viewed as a group of people who only need ‘help’ they can take on the role of contributors to the community, it will be great for them to hopefully see some of their artwork displayed and we will now be able to visit galleries and the like.

“A lot of our children struggle to express themselves verbally so art is a fantastic outlet for them to express themselves and also to enjoy what they are doing.

“We are hoping that we will be able to get some of our paintings shown in the local community as well which would be great.” More than 200,000 people across the UK took part in a public vote between May and September to select the charities they wanted to receive the cash, part of £660,000 Lloyds Banking Group is investing through the Community Fund.

In total, 132 charities are set to receive £5,000 as part of the campaign and Lloyds Banking Group’s Community and Sustainable Business Director, Paul Turner said: “Becoming the best bank for customers means being the best bank for our communities. The group has 30 million customers and has a clear role to play in society helping communities thrive. The Community Fund highlights the Group’s ongoing commitment to the communities we serve and doing more to help Britain prosper.

“We are proud to be able to help St Crispin’s school continue the great work they are doing and we look forward to seeing the difference the award will make.”