Avanton, a leading developer in South London, has fully funded a vital summer school for New Cross Gate Trust this August. The two-week summer programme, called Wildly Fun Skills School, provides children aged 7-13 years old with a range of exciting daily activities, helping with self confidence and team building skills.

Each year, New Cross Gate Trust organises and hosts an exciting summer school for local children, providing fun, engaging activities whilst helping parents with much-needed childcare during the summer holidays. This year, the summer school ran from 2nd August to 13th August with 64 children benefitting.

New Cross Gate Trust works to support the local community to live happy, healthy and fulfilled lives. Taking place in Besson Street Community Garden, each year the Trust needs to raise £6,000 to fund the summer school, and this year Avanton has donated the full amount needed. On the summer school’s last day, David Ronson from Avanton visited and met some of the children, who proudly displayed their new skills and artwork of the last fortnight.

The children attend the two-week project from 10am to 4pm each day, with the summer school always fully subscribed with high demand. The annual activities include various arts and crafts, singing and ukulele, bee keeping, circus skills, slime making, badminton and netball, environmental and upcycling workshops and lots more. The children attending pay just £20 each for the full two-week summer school, with the donation from Avanton funding the rest which covers staff costs, equipment and resources. The children who benefit from the summer school come from local schools in New Cross and Peckham, and some children return each year to continue the fun experience.

David Ronson, Sales & Marketing Director at Avanton says: “Avanton is delighted to have sponsored this year’s Wildly Fun Skills School for New Cross Gate Trust, which is really engaging fortnight for local children. The children have a fun, stimulating environment for making new friends and learning new skills whilst it also helps their parents with vital childcare during the holidays. I was very proud to attend on the last day and see first-hand the children’s creativity and enthusiasm.”

Jill Mountford, Centre Manager says: “With Avanton’s generous support we have once again been able to offer our Wildly Fun Summer School to 64 local children during the long summer holidays. Out in the fresh air, socialising, learning new skills and above all else having fun all the children who took part came full of energy every morning and went home content but exhausted every afternoon. Far too many children have had a difficult time over the past 18 months, in and out of school, lockdowns and isolating have been a common theme. Many households have come under increasing financial pressure and this has in turn put undue pressure on family life. Avanton’s grant has given us an opportunity to provide small safe and happy spaces for children and help create some very happy memories for the future, a positively good investment that will have a lasting impact.”

Avanton is a leading London developer with a flagship scheme in Battersea, called Coda, and pipeline sites along Old Kent Road set to deliver a new neighbourhood of homes and amenities. Other community initiatives led by New Cross Gate Trust including gardening and sewing clubs, adult learning courses, improve access to key services and boost employment prospects.