A SPECIAL treat greeted students at a secondary school when they got back after the half-term break. A new outdoor gym has been installed at Sir John Lawes (SJL) School in Harpenden – one of only a handful in the country – thanks to the fundraising effort

A SPECIAL treat greeted students at a secondary school when they got back after the half-term break.

A new outdoor gym has been installed at Sir John Lawes (SJL) School in Harpenden - one of only a handful in the country - thanks to the fundraising effort of staff and parents.

The gym cost �21,500 and together the parent and staffing fundraising activities raised just over �17,100. Among the activities was a sponsored sky dive by head of PE, Andrew Battersby and the assistant head of Year 12, Kenny Alexander.

The school also received a grant of �4,500 under the Locality Budget Scheme organised by Harpenden county councillors Bernard Lloyd and Teresa Heritage.

School spokesman, Chris Wright, said: "Sport and physical fitness has been at the heart of the SJL ethos for many years now and the school is always looking for new ways to provide students with fun activities that will improve their health and fitness levels.

"I went out and saw some of the students using it on the first morning and it looked like they were having a fantastic time."

He explained that the school had a comprehensive programme of physical activities as part of its curriculum and provided an extensive range of out-of-school events.

But there were some children who did not feel able to participate, particularly those who did not suit team games and preferred to exercise on their own, for whom the outdoor gym would provide important alternative facilities which were fun, accessible and could be used without instruction.

n A Grand Auction of Promises held by SJL earlier this year raised �5,600.

Among the donations from over 50 local businesses were holidays in Provence, family days out, meals in local restaurants, tickets to high profile sporting events and driving experiences.

The proceeds will go towards providing new facilities and/or resources for students that are not catered for within the constraints of the existing budget.