
A school in Warrington is set to buy specialist wheelchair-friendly play equipment for its disabled pupils after winning top prize in Selco’s 2024 Community Heroes campaign.
There was more good news for the school, when Selco surprisingly announced the prize money had been doubled from £5,000 to £10,000.
Fox Wood Special School caters for children with complex learning needs, giving them meaningful and exciting opportunities to improve their day-to-day lives and their mental health.
Rachael Penn, PTA Chair at Fox Wood said: “We just couldn’t believe it when Selco turned up at the school and told us we had won £10,000. To come first up against some other fantastic good causes was exciting enough, but now we are ecstatic. This money will make such a big difference to our pupils who use wheelchairs. They will get so much enjoyment from the new equipment, including a wheelchair swing and a wheelchair trampoline.”
Selco invited organisations, schools and charities to enter its Community Heroes initiative, which had a total prize pot worth £21,000. More than 2,000 groups put themselves forward, with 12 winners selected over the course of six months, each winning £500 of building materials from their nearest Selco branch. The dozen finalists went before a public vote to decide the winners. Fox Wood School secured more than a quarter of the 9,000 plus votes.
David Lennon, Commercial Director at Selco said: “It was fantastic to visit Fox Wood School and announce we were going to significantly increase their prize money. Community Heroes is our flagship initiative for charities and community groups or organisations that always captures the imagination. We are proud to be able to demonstrate our commitment to supporting good causes right across the country at a time when, for many, the need is so great.”