Father Philip Billing blessing the children at the start of the ceremony.
Efforts to bring the shade back to St Peter’s Catholic School play areas were recognised last week when parish priest Father Philip Billing blessed new shade sails and pupils.
Father Philip Billing blessing the blue sail shading in one of the play areas.
The removal of a tree over the junior playground a while ago meant that even with hats on, pupils have been scorching under the hot summer sun. The shade sails, installed during the holiday break, cover the junior and senior play areas and has brought welcome relief.
Principal Nicole Higby said everyone was delighted to finally have the sails in situ. The cost of around $55,000 was met largely by money raised over the last couple of years of Waipā Fun Runs, key community events held annually to fundraise for the school and its charity partner, Cambridge Lifeskills. She said there had also been input from the Catholic Diocese and the PTFA, who topped up the play areas with bark.
“We had the newly installed sails blessed by Father Philip Billing,” Nicole said. “It was good to have him doing that and it’s great to have some shade back.”
St Peter’s School’s Donna Warwick cutting the ribbon last week, watched by school principal Nicole Higby.
Preparations for this year’s Waipā Fun Run in Victoria Square next month are now at the pointy end. The school’s office manager and Waipā Fun Run co-ordinator, Donna Warwick, has been mobilising those involved to make sure the event runs smoothly, despite recent irritation around the vandalism of some of the 10 signs she and her husband carefully put up around town.
“That is massively annoying,” she said. “We just put one up down by the low-level bridge and within hours it was pushed over and lying flat on the ground. The same thing has happened to the sign on Hamilton Rd. We’ve no idea why they’re being targeted, but the signs cost us a lot and that comes from whatever we raise at the Fun Run, a portion of which goes into Cambridge Lifeskills. We don’t want to see that money wasted by vandals.”
This year’s Fun Run – including a 10km run/walk, 5km walk/run, teams and school Challenges will have a new category for Year 1 and 2 children. Until now the races have started with Year 3s.
The event has taken place in most weathers over the past 14 years. Donna said the only time it is stopped is if there are serious weather conditions that raise safety concerns.
Father Philip Billing blessing the children at the start of the ceremony.
