SCHOOLCHILDREN dressed up as teachers, doctors, builders and lawyers to launch a campaign inviting local businesses to invest in the future of their primary school.

Youngsters at Mandeville primary school in St Albans dressed up in the kind of work uniform they might wear in the future in support of Mandaid, the group set up to help raise money to compensate for cuts made to a building project at the school.

Mandaid is asking local businesses to invest in the future of St Albans children by making Mandeville part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme by sponsoring the school as their charity and holding fundraising events on its behalf.

They hope businesses will hold events for them such as quizzes, raffles and charity auctions as well as encourage employees to take part in sponsored events. In addition businesses are invited to work in partnership with Mandaid by offering prizes for fundraising events, volunteering to help out at events or using their business to promote Mandaid events.

The support group was formed by parents after the school became part of the government’s Primary Capital Programme and a building programme was developed to double its size to provide much-needed additional school places in St Albans.

But within days of demolition of the old school buildings last July, all work ceased when budgetry cuts of over �1 million were made by the county council.

The cuts meant that key educational and environmental features of the scheme – including library shelving and an imaginative reading area, outdoor play equipment and seating, a covered outdoor learning area, solar panels and a water harvesting system – would no longer be funded.

Mandaid was launched to restore the lost features and more details can be found on the school’s website at www.mandeville.herts.sch.uk/mandaid or www.mandeville.herts.sch.uk/csr