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My name is Michael Streat and I am organising, for the nineteenth year, Woodbridge School's charity cycle ride from London to Woodbridge, on 18 June.  As ever we are raising money for the Bridge School in Islington, a school we have very close links with forged through shared work and friendship.

What is the Bridge School?

The Bridge School is a school in London for pupils aged from 2 to 19 years with severe learning difficulties (SLD – comparable to a mental age of between eighteen months and six years) or profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD – less than eighteen months).  Some pupils have additional physical and sensory impairments or are on the autistic continuum. 

The children’s various needs are intensive, wide-ranging, and frequently demanding in terms both of staffing and materials, but the School prides itself on doing all it can to meet them.  The staff has created an environment suffused by love and happiness despite the circumstances.  School is the haven and favourite place for many of the children, and it is easy to see why.

The pupils are taught in small groups and many require individual teaching. They follow a version of the National Curriculum however the aim is always to offer students as much control over their lives as possible, through learning tasks suited to their abilities.  A range of interesting experiences should help prepare them for adult life and, in some cases, lead to recognised qualifications.

Why does the school need money?

With resources immensely stretched by the cost of necessarily high staff-to-pupil ratios and the need to provide a vast range of highly specialist bespoke equipment (often only appropriate to one child, and then only for a short time while they grow), the children and  buildings remain woefully under-resourced in terms of many of the things other schools would take for granted as part of normal budgeting.

What will the money you donate be used for?

Your contribution will help in a small way to the bottomless financial needs of the Bridge children.  Money raised helps fund expensive sensory equipment, playground facilities, theatrical lighting and much more – all things that make an enormous difference to the way the children can enjoy their time at School; all things that would not have been bought without charitable support.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never share them with anyone or send you unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. They'll make sure Gift Aid (an additional 28%) is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer, too. That means more money goes to the charity, faster, with JustGiving.

So please dig deep and donate now.