Water a great idea

Much to the delight of an enthusiastic group of youngsters, estate agent Manning Stainton recently presented Austhorpe School, Crossgates, with an outdoor water activity centre. The £300 cash to provide the equipment came from the company's Community Fund and Crossgates branch manager Lesley Taylor was there for the launch.

Though experiencing some difficulties in recent years Austhorpe School is now progressing nicely with over 200 mixed pupils aged 4-11 backed by a recent Ofsted report highlighting pupils' good behaviour and their confident and enthusiastic attitude to school life.

Head Teacher Caroline Robinson says the school is focussing on providing extra facilities for the Reception Class outdoor classroom and are keen to involve companies in helping supplement the funds raised by the school's Parent Teacher Association.

"These are not easy times for companies to find spare resources so we are particularly grateful to Manning Stainton for their help" she said.

Lesley said the Manning Stainton Community Fund was founded five years ago and continues to assist local community projects and initiatives around the company's branch network.