ONE school is hoping to run, jump, balance and swing its way to a share of a £6,000 makeover with the Echo’s School Build Challenge.

Grove Infants School is the only finalist in the School Build competition from Portland and the teachers and pupils are hoping that the island will get behind them and back them to win the makeover prize of their dreams – an activity trail to make the most of their outdoor area.

The Echo and construction company Leadbitter teamed up to offer school’s across the area the chance to win either £3,000, £2,000 or £1,000 towards a makeover for the outside of their school.

Entries included ideas for nature trails, model villages, outdoor classrooms, bird hides and musical instruments.

Grove Infant School has 45 infants at the school and 45 pre-school children but has no outside green areas and the children have to walk to the nearest park or playing field to do sport.

Headteacher Jane Hurdiss said that the school would love to put in an activity trail for the children.

She said: “Being such a small school we find it very difficult to raise sufficient funds for any large equipment in our playground and we love to be able to give the children an activity trail, where they can climb, balance and swing.”

She added: “If we were to be successful in our bid our children could be so much more active on the school site, as well as having lots of fun.”

Deputy Headteacher Jackie Thomas said that she hoped the island would get behind them and support their application. She said: “We have actively put something out to the community as we are the only school in Portland to be in the final and it would be great to get the community behind us.

“We have put voucher collection boxes in the Co-operative shop and Tesco on Portland.”

She added: “Winning a makeover for the school would mean ever such a lot to the children.” Every day vouchers will appear in the Echo for the School Build Challenge and people need to collect as many as possible.

Schools then need to send in their collected vouchers after the final ones appear in the paper on Saturday, July 9.