Sleaford school’s mini museum hits fundraising target

William Alvey School has been fundraising to turn the old structure into a mini-museum about the period to use as a learning resource for pupils.

They have cracked their £1,000 target, reaching £1,185, as well as collecting research and memorabilia about the wartime exploits of its pupils, staff and local townspeople.

You can contribute at: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/air-raid

Headteacher Stephen Tapley explained the shelter is at the corner of their front car park. He said: “According to our school log book, several were built on the grounds in 1940.

“During the Second World War, Mary Beavis, our headmistress, was awarded the Local Air Raid Precautions silver brooch for her efficiency in evacuating the children to these shelters. Mary’s surviving family have generously given the school her brooch, which we proudly display alongside her Red Cross First Aid medal which she earned during the First World War. She really was an amazing woman and a role model for our children today.”

The shelter will have a glass door, special lighting, a sound system and artefacts children would have actually taken into the shelters during an air raid.