Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My name is Michael Streat and I am organising, for the twenty first year, Woodbridge School's charity cycle ride from London to Woodbridge, on 23 June.  As ever we
are raising money for the Bridge School in Islington, a school we have very
close links with forged through shared work and friendship.

What is the Bridge School?

The Bridge School is a school in London for pupils aged from 2 to 19 years with severe
learning difficulties (SLD – comparable to a mental age of between eighteen
months and six years) or profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD –
less than eighteen months).  Some pupils have additional physical and
sensory impairments or are on the autistic continuum.

The children’s various needs are intensive, wide-ranging, and frequently demanding
in terms both of staffing and materials, but the School prides itself on doing
all it can to meet them.  The staff has created an environment suffused by
love and happiness despite the circumstances.  School is the haven and
favourite place for many of the children, and it is easy to see why.

The pupils are taught in small groups and many require individual teaching. They
follow a version of the National Curriculum however the aim is always to offer
students as much control over their lives as possible, through learning tasks
suited to their abilities.  A range of interesting experiences should help
prepare them for adult life and, in some cases, lead to recognised
qualifications.

Why does the school need money?

With resources immensely stretched by the cost of necessarily high staff-to-pupil
ratios and the need to provide a vast range of highly specialist bespoke
equipment (often only appropriate to one child, and then only for a short time
while they grow), the children and  buildings remain woefully
under-resourced in terms of many of the things other schools would take for
granted as part of normal budgeting.

What will the money you donate be used for?

Your contribution will help in a small way to the bottomless financial needs of the
Bridge children.  Money raised helps fund expensive sensory equipment,
playground facilities, theatrical lighting and much more – all things that make
an enormous difference to the way the children can enjoy their time at School;
all things that would not have been bought without charitable support.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe
with JustGiving - they'll never share them with anyone or send you unwanted
emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity.
They'll make sure Gift Aid (an additional 28%) is reclaimed on every eligible
donation by a UK taxpayer, too. That means more money goes to the charity,
faster, with JustGiving.

So please dig deep and donate now.