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Read our latest newsletter here.
The Friends of Whitefield (FoW) is our school's Parent, Teacher and Friends Association (PTFA). We are very fortunate at Whitefield to have a PTFA that is a very important part of the School community. In its time the Friends of Whitefield has raised thousands of pounds, which has been spent improving school equipment to enhance our children’s education.
The FoW is not just for fund raising, it brings staff, parents and friends together socially in support of the School, and it can be very rewarding and lots of fun!
It is a good way to meet new friends, and presents many challenges, but with continued support from parents and staff the FoW has always succeeded in its efforts.
All parents and carers are automatically members of the Association when they join the school, and are more than welcome to come along to meetings, and get actively involved in our activities.
The FoW is extremely conscious of the ethos and morals of our School, and we try very hard when organising and planning events to respect this.
The FoW always has the children’s, School’s, parents and staffs best interests at heart and the events are often organised by very few people around very busy schedules. The FoW is made up not of professional events organisers, but volunteer parents and teachers.
Support is vital
The FoW cannot succeed without help from parents and teachers.
Throughout the year we ask for donations toward events (maybe bottles, cakes or chocolates), which we then use in the raffles & tombolas. We also ask for volunteers to help run the various events.
Over the years we have tried to get as much help as possible so each person is only needed for a short while. That enables everyone to get a chance to enjoy the events and spend some time with their family & friends.
We are a registered charity
The charities Act 1993 requires organisations such as ours with an annual income in excess of £1,000 to register with the Charity Commission. Our Registered Charity number is 1043351.
Being a Registered Charity provides us with many extra benefits
We are able to apply for Gift Aid, which can earn us an extra 28p in every pound donated to the FoW
We can raise funds more easily from grant giving trusts, local businesses etc
We can take advantage of charity matched funding schemes
As a charity we must abide by Charity Commission rules and regulations and we are bound by a Constitution. Our Constitution lays down rules about how we operate as a PTFA and how we conduct ourselves. A copy of this Governing Document can be found here.
How we raise and spend money
As with most schools, the majority of our funds are raised through the events that we run.
We try to vary the events each year, but we do have some popular reoccurring events that happen throughout the year – Discos, the Secret Santa Room, Community Cinema afternoons, Quiz & Curry night, and our Summer Fair.
Donations to these events are extremely important, and this can be time, money, items for sale or donations for raffles or offers of services and skills.
Sometimes our local businesses will sponsor events, and thankfully in our area we have some very generous businesses. If you work for or own a business you might also like to think about this, as it can be a very rewarding way of attracting more customers from the school community.
Over the years, the money raised has gone to purchase vital extra equipment including enhancing the outdoor play area with the ‘story circle’ seating area, digital cameras, visualisers, laptops & iPad minis.
Getting involved
Friends of Whitefield members give their time voluntarily and we are extremely grateful considering how precious leisure time is.
All parents are automatically members of the Association when they join the school and are more than welcome to come along to meetings and get actively involved in our activities.
Meetings are usually held once a month for approx. 2 hours during which ideas are pooled and events are planned. It is also a great opportunity to get to know teachers and other parents.
For those who cannot attend meetings, we put the minutes on the School’s website. We also send reminders for upcoming events via text & display posters around School.
Key Facts' leaflet can be found here
Friends of Whitefield have a dedicated email address at: fow@whitefield-pri.lancs.sch.uk
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or suggestions.
Chairperson: Julie Geoffroy
Treasurer: Charlotte Gothard