Leamington school’s cheerleaders will go national finals thanks to community fundraising effort

Members of the year five and six cheerleading team at Shrubland Street Community School were disappointed to hear that the school would not be able to pay the £1,000 for their trip to the Velodrome in Manchester on June 20 having instead chosen to fund more than 100 pupils as young as five to go to the County Championships in Coventry later this month.

Knowing this would be the last chance for the older team members to represent the school at the national event before they leave, including her daughter TJ, mum Sharron Coveney and others rallied round to raise £800 in just a few days and a non-uniform day today (Friday) should boost the total so there is enough to cover the girls’ travel for the event and also pay for a new outfit for them to wear.

Mrs Coveney said: “We could understand why the school chose to send more children to the county event but for some of the girls this would be their last chance to take part in the nationals before they leave the school in July.

“There was no way we weren’t going to make sure they could go.”

Some of the team members went door to door in the area around Shrubland Street to ask for donations while businesses and pubs in the area also chipped in and parents and the school have made contributions.

Headteacher David Farrar has praised the “fantastic parents” and said the team, some of whom have been cheerleading since they were six, have a good chance of winning a trophy at the national event.

He said: “They really are very good.”