PUPILS at Froxfield Primary School are settling into a new classroom after parents and the community raised £75,000 to transform a previously unused loft space.

The refurbished area will mainly be used by the older children at the school who had outgrown their previous classroom, but also as a much-needed library for all year groups.

Before the work, the school often had to use the village hall when it wanted to hold assemblies, and some books had to be kept in storage due to a shortage of space.

Headteacher Vickie Farrow said: “The children are delighted with it. They were quite squeezed in before and now they’ve got so much space. It opens up so many more possibilities for what we can do.”

After the loft area was identified as a possible site for expansion, a fundraising committee was set up with the ambitious goal of securing £75,000 to complete the project within a year.

Rosalind Newnham is a parent at the school and a member of the committee.

She said: “We did a series of events including a big raffle, a wine tasting, a smart dinner and auction of promises.

“There was also the beefed up village fete which was called Froxfest.

“As well as the parents, there has been a huge amount of local generosity because the school is really seen as the heart of the village.”

Mrs Farrow added: “We are so lucky to have such a supportive group of parents here and also great support from the village too.

“I feel like the building work has brought the community together even more.”

The school is planning to hold a special evening event to show off the classroom and to thank all those who contributed to the project.