British Log Cabins (Welshpool) have helped the pupils and teachers fulfil a long held dream this February by presenting the school with a bespoke, handcrafted, solid log ‘Friendship Bench’, a place where children can sit if they feel lonely or have no one to talk to at playtime, it being the cue for others to join them and start up a friendship.
Children’s Mental Health Week 2023 took place from 6-12 February and this year’s theme was ‘Let’s Connect’, so the school was keen to get the bench in place to support the work they did to promote this theme.
The School Council initially requested the friendship bench some years ago, but PTA raised funds were always destined for other activities to support the children’s learning, so when Greg Arnold, a parent at the school, and site manager for British Log Cabins, suggested the company could make and donate one for them, Mrs Morris, Headteacher, jumped at the chance.
The handcrafted bench, which was made from a western red cedar log, was chainsaw carved and planed before being oiled to protect it from the weather. It’s now sited on the edge of the playground for the children to enjoy.
