PARENTS of school children who found equipment vandalised and burned have rallied round to raise hundreds of pounds towards their replacement.
Those attending Bradley Green Primary Academy arrived to find youths had broken into the grounds and destroyed outdoor deckchairs, books and wetsuits used in its forest school.
But after staff cleared the site in the Newton area of Hyde, parents came to the fore by setting up a fundraising page to replace what had been lost.
And in little over 24 hours, a £1,000 target was almost reached. If it exceeds that, extra will go towards other projects.
Some parents also donated coats and waterproofs to the children who had theirs destroyed.
Paul Kimber, whose daughter attends the reception class at Bradley Green, set up the page and said: “The school put so much time, hard work and effort in making the place such a lovely environment for new starters and early years.
“Spending money on stuff such as waterproof suits was the last thing they needed. I can’t stress just how much this place goes out of their way to give our children a lovely learning experience.
“It hit me quite personally as my daughter has just come out of nursery and it was upsetting to imagine how devastated she would have been.”
The gesture and response bowled over Bradley Green headteacher Vicky Cameron, who said: “The Just Giving page was set up by a parent who was really upset, as were we by the actions of some youths
“We haven’t had any damage or vandalism for such a long time and have a really caring school community so I think it has hit home harder due to that.”