St Albans accountants spruce up primary school

A TEAM of St Albans accountants swapped calculators for paint brushes last week to spruce up a local primary school.

Around 40 KPMG employees from the Fishpool Street office painted the entire outside of Prae Wood school in King Harry Lane last Thursday as part of their annual community challenge.

The enthusiastic team also transformed the sheds and some of the fences with a lick of paint whilst some of the more green-fingered accountants planted flowers outside and built a path to Prae Wood’s upcoming wildlife area.

Head teacher Jackie Stephenson, who has been at the school for a year and a half, said that Prae Wood was lucky to be picked: “Fortunately, one of our parents works for KPMG and so we were always in the running to be one of their projects.

“They painted the school a wonderful woodland green and everyone is absolutely delighted with our new look, including the children who watched our painters with great anticipation from inside.”

She added: “KPMG has been so generous with its time and we also owe a huge thank you to Burston Nurseries for the plants and a St Albans based company called Associated Decorators, which donated all the paint – and paintbrushes! – used on the day.”

This year KPMG employees Charlotte Beyer and Chantelle Dyason organised the community challenge and their colleague Frankie Evans, who also takes part in the company’s weekly reading buddy scheme at Mandeville Priamry Schhol in St Albans, said that she had great fun painting all day.

She added: “I joined the company late last year so this was my first community challenge. It was a great atmosphere and we felt like Ground Force!

“Everyone at Prae Wood was so friendly and the parents even brought in cakes, so we were all well energised.”