PARENTS have raised more than £20,000 towards a project to develop a new music room, classroom and entrance at Archbishop of York CE Junior School in Bishopthorpe.

The Big Project started about two-and-a-half years ago, after head teacher Jonathan Green first looked at ideas for creating a space for music rehearsals.

He said: “We’re a very musical school, but our music lessons are currently held in the staff room or the library.

“It’s not ideal for a musical school to have that lack of resource.

“We decided to build something and one thing led to another from the initial idea of a music room.” The project now comprises three phases, including a new classroom, a new front entrance and the new music room for the school and community.

The school needs to raise £110,000 to £120,000 to start phase one, said Mr Green, acknowledging it was a long-term project, which could take between three and five years to complete.

“We know it’s not going to happen overnight.

“Parents understand it is probably not going to be something necessarily their children will benefit from, but future children and the community will benefit from it.

“Our friends committee has worked incredibly hard on this and have managed to get quite a lot of money through their fundraising activities.”

They also applied for the Big Lottery Fund a year ago, but fell at the last hurdle when they couldn’t match-fund the project to the extent they were required.

Deborah Burtonshaw, leader of the Friends of Bishopthorpe Junior School committee, said they would continue to organise all kinds of events, such as bag packing at supermarkets, curry nights, bingo nights and music concerts.

For the next event, volunteers from the school will run a café at St Crux Church in the centre of York on Wednesday, from 9.30am to 4.30pm, when Christmas shoppers will be able to pop in for mince pies and a drink or to have lunch and buy Christmas gifts.