A PERSHORE school got a festive funding boost when it received an award for nearly £10,000 from the BIG Lottery Fund.

Holy Redeemer Primary School is one of 82 projects to get the Christmas present of £9,930 from the small grants programme, Awards For All.

The money will allow the school to install an outdoor classroom, climbing wall and den for pupils in the school and for other children in the community.

Christina Hall, headteacher, said: “Being awarded this grant has caused so much excitement amongst the children in the school.

“It has very much been their project from the very beginning. As we are a small primary school in Worcestershire, we are amongst the worst funded schools in the country on a per head of pupil basis.

"This means we cannot afford to spend any money on non essential items such as developing the playground.

“Without this grant the children would have had to continue to play on a bare playground and stretch of astro-turf. The children, staff, parents and wider community of Holy Redeemer Catholic Primary School extend a very excited thank you to the Big Lottery.”

John Taylor, Big Lottery Fund Head of the West Midlands region said: “It is very inspiring to read about all these school community projects at this special time of year.

"Each project will make a huge difference and improvements going forward into the New Year.”

Organisations throughout England with an income of £30,000 or less now have the opportunity to apply for repeat and ongoing activities under Awards For All until the end of March 2013.

For more information visit awardsforall.org.uk