SAFETY at a school playgroup’s outdoor play area is to be improved, thanks to generous donations from a supermarket and a housebuilder.

Stepaside CP School needed funding to replace the surface for the area, which had become dangerous for youngsters to use.

The school had already raised money to give the area a fresh lick of paint, but the cost of the safety flooring will run into several thousand pounds.

However, they now have over £6,300 in the kitty following donations of £1,000 from Persimmon Homes West Wales and £5,303.32 from Kilgetty Co-op.

Persimmon gave the gift through its Community Champions project, while the store raised the money through the Big Co-op Payout scheme.

This sees Co-op members choose local causes to be supported with the one per cent of what they spend on Co-op branded products and services, and also the sales of carrier bags.

The Kilgetty store raised the grand total of £16,811.01. The other beneficiaries were Tenby and Saundersfoot First Responders, who receive £6,290.81 and the Freya Foundation – raising awareness of the condition PDH – which gets £5,216.88.

Stepaside CP School headteacher Paul Harries, who received the Co-op cheque on behalf of Stepaside Community Playgroup said: “We were so surprised to received the notification that we had been awarded such a substantial donation.

“We could never have imagined this amount, and we are very grateful to all of the members of the Co-op who selected us as their cause, and to the Co-op for their donation from bag sales.”

Added assistant head Kate Chandler-Hall: “Both of these funding schemes are very welcome and essential to help groups such as our complete projects that – in our case – will benefit the children in our care for many years to come.”