A BID by leaders of a Carlisle primary school to improve its sporting facilities and pupils’ health and fitness has received a boost.

Newtown Community Primary School wants to start a non-contact boxing club for children who want to become more fit and healthy.

Generous staff and shoppers at the city’s Marks & Spencer Food Hall in the Kingstown area of Carlisle have supported young members of the school council, prefects and volunteers – some as young as seven years old - who spent two days bag packing to aid their cause.

The two-day charity bag packing exercise further bolstered recent fundraising efforts of all children and staff of the 120-pupil school, off Newtown Road.

Last month the whole school replaced lessons with a trip to Watchtree Nature Reserve for a sponsored event. Children and adults completed as many sponsored laps of the sprawling site as they could in a day by walking, running or cycling.

The school is nearing its £5,000 target and hopes to complete its half-term efforts with a bingo event on October 17. It starts at 3.15pm. the event will also include a tombola and raffle. Prizes include cuddly toys, bottles of wine and vouchers for various shops, Kitchen Aid goodies, Businesses supporting with donations to date include McVitties, Tipsy Filly and Mitton Refrigeration.

Raymond Gordon, headteacher of the school, said: “The whole school community including our parents, grandparents, carers and of course the children have been wonderfully supportive this half term.

“From donations in kind, helping us when we’ve been out bag packing to accompanying our sponsored Watchtree challenge, to businesses giving prizes for our events in school, we can’t thank them enough.”

Donations or those wishing to supply tombola or raffle prizes to help the school as it raises more funds can be dropped off at the school in Raffles. Alternatively, call 01228 409650 or go online at https://tiny

url.com/y4gv2z95.

“We have a number of new and continuing initiatives as clubs in and after school helping our children enjoy sports and improve their physical and mental health and wellbeing. They include external sports coaches coming in school and regular visits from individuals and organisations ranging from Relax Kids and the LifeBus. We are pleased at how well our pupils have responded to all the efforts this year.”

Donna Lund, family liaison mentor at the school, said of her hopes for the new club: “Learning to box develops and nurtures courage, encourages discipline and self control leading to increased confidence all the while developing a good level of fitness. Boxing is as much about self control as it is about physical ability; it requires strength of mind as well as body.

“We want to raise funds to provide boxing sessions on a weekly basis, and also to deliver hourly sessions to all of our pupils in the spring and summer term, the money will also pay for mobile punch bags, and kit that the pupils will use.”

School leaders hope their efforts will be rewarded later this month as they take part in CFM Cash for Kids’ sports challenge. One of four finalists, the school is hoping that its final fundraising total can secure match funding from the charity.

Donations or those wishing to supply tombola or raffle prizes to help the school as it raises more funds can be dropped off at the school in Raffles.

Alternatively, call 01228 409650 or donate online at www.cashforkidsgive.co.uk/campaign/cfm-general-fundraising/fundraisers/newtown-community-primary-school/