A FUNDRAISING campaign has been launched after a primary school’s playground pirate ship was condemned.
HMS Ravensworth has proved popular with pupils since she first sailed into view at the village primary in 2012.
Sadly, the wooden structure is no longer fit for purpose.
In an effort to replace it and provide a new safety surface for the play area, the Friends of Ravensworth Primary School group has begun efforts to raise the £14,000 required to cover costs.
The first event saw children hitting new heights thanks to a climbing frame which was set up in the playground.
Rachel Hegarty, from the friends group, said children had been sponsored to have a go and see how high up they could climb.
Nine-year-old Zak Penrose got a big cheer when he reached the summit.
Ms Hegarty said the fundraiser also linked in with a topic the children had been during in recent weeks on the Arctic.
Youngsters have been completing laps of the school field to cover the equivalent distance between the school and the Arctic and the climbing frame highlighted some of the difficulties that explorers would have to overcome in the frozen wastelands, she explained.
