Ridgeway School achieves crowdfunding target

Ridgeway School has achieved its Crowdfunding target of £10,000 thanks to the local community.

The Crowdfunder.co.uk campaign has raised £10,250 towards the cost of installing a 3G football pitch on the school site that will provide a much needed all year round playing surface.

“This innovative approach to fundraising was a part of the Devon Football campaign and it was brilliant to see how much support we had from our local community. Not only did it help us to raise funds, it helped us raise awareness of what we do in Plympton and the importance of providing first class facilities for our deserving community,” said Matt Matthew, Business Manager at Ridgeway School.

“We had 79 backers who I cannot thank enough for their support and are too many to list but I must mention the two local football clubs, Plympton AFC and Chaddlewood Miners, who did some excellent fundraising towards the project. Also, the School PTA, JAH Electrical, Nigel Mace Interiors, Williams Southern Ltd and finally Plymouth City Council who all helped make our dream become a reality”.

The match funding from Plymouth City Council has given the campaign a much needed boost.

“It’s also shown that the city truly cares about the sport we play and the opportunities it brings to young people,” said Lisa Boorman, Principal of Ridgeway School. “We are astounded by the support we’ve received from over 70 backers on Crowdfunder and can’t wait to welcome everyone to the pitch.”

Chris French from Devon FA said, “We’ve already helped to raise over £24,000 through crowdfunding for clubs since we launched our campaign and we’d like to encourage more organisations in Devon to take up the opportunity. We know there is a huge passion for local football in Devon and we are absolutely delighted with the responses we are seeing particularly in these times of budget cuts – ensuring that football stays exactly where it belongs, in the heart of the community and in the hands of the fans.”