Synergy donates money to Caterpillar Club

3/10/2010

Synergy has donated £2,000 to the Caterpillar Club, a centre that provides childcare to young mums who would otherwise not be able to afford any. Having this support gives mums the chance to be able to go back to work or even take a break from time to time.

The money, raised by East Dorset Housing Association’s community fund, will be put to good use to improve the children’s garden and play area, provide a sandpit, some artificial grass and a shed to store the children’s toys.

Sally Regan, Synergy’s Resident Involvement Officer, presented the cheque to Susan Crow from the Caterpillar Club in recognition of the club’s continuous generosity and hard work. Susan commented, "The issue of the Caterpillar Club Pre-school outdoor area refurbishment had been on the agenda for many years, and seemed far out of our reach. Being a small not-for-profit charity meant funds were always stretched and we simply could not afford the rather high quotes we got for playground improvements. Our successful grant application enabled us to go ahead last summer with some of the necessary work. We redesigned the outdoor space, including moving our old dilapidated sandpit and purchasing a new covered one. This has created far more space in the garden, and allowed us to install quality artificial grass to a large area which is ideal for playtime. We have also been able to buy a new storage shed, and generally tidy up the space. There is still work to be done but the garden　is vastly improved from what it was before the grant was received. A huge thank you to EDHA for enabling us and the children to have a quality play area which is very much enjoyed."

The Caterpillar Club receives funding from donations such as Synergy’s and benefits the whole community in and around Ferndown.