School hit by 'unbelievable' flooding overwhelmed by community support


A Gloucestershire primary school that was hit by destructive flash-flooding has expressed its thanks to those who have helped the clear-up operation. Tewkesbury CofE Primary School was severely affected by the thunderstorms that brought chaos to the county on Friday September 20.

The heavy rain was too much for the drains to take and water poured through the roof and into the school's library, which had only recently been renovated. More than £12,500 worth of books were ruined and over a terrible few hours, water found its way into the school's hall and intervention rooms.

The school’s PTFA have already launched a GoFundMe page for people to make donations and has has already raised £5,728, smashing the £5,000 target.

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Tim Rylatt, Headteacher at Tewkesbury CofE Primary School says it was two to three inches of rainwater that hit the school. He said: "It came completely out of the blue. We've had this type of weather before but this was unbelievable because of the rain, hail and wind at the same time."

Tim Rylatt, Headteacher at Tewkesbury CofE Primary School. The floor Tim is standing on was carpet until the heavy rain hit.
Tim Rylatt, Headteacher at Tewkesbury CofE Primary School. The floor Tim is standing on was carpet until the heavy rain hit. -Credit:Will Luker

Tim said that the damage is awful for the children and everyone involved in the school community. He said: "We all came back on the Saturday (September 21) and it has been amazing to see so many people in the community coming to help us. We've been blown away by the support but sadly it will be a long period for the children to go without," Tim said.

Tim adds that the school was fully insured but the reality is insurance is not as simple as many people think. "In terms of just making a claim, the timeframe of providing everything and getting people in to look at the damage, you are talking months and months. By the time we'll get the money to do the work that needs to be done, children will have still been in school for six to 12 months before they'll see everything back to normal."

Tewkesbury CofE Primary School wasn't the only school or building affected the recent bad weather as Chosen Hill Secondary School in Churchdown, Milestone School in Gloucester and Checkers Gymnastics Club also in Gloucester, were just some of the places that were affected.