A village has rallied round its primary school after an arson attempt damaged playground equipment.

Goosnargh Oliverson’s School was targeted twice in the space of a month by a 13-year-old boy – who cannot be named for legal reasons – who has now been charged with two counts of arson.

The fires have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to play equipment.

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A fundraiser on GoFundMe set up by concerned parent Wayne Blinkhorn – who has children at Oliverson’s – has raised more than £2,000.

Wayne said: “The school has recently been the victim of two acts of criminal damage with pieces of play equipment having been set alight and burned down. Most recently a large piece of climbing apparatus was set on fire which spread to the recently installed MUGA and its surrounding fencing.

“The school and its PTFA invest a lot of time and money into providing excellent facilities for the children of our community. I believe their current funds should be able to be used for supporting the education and enjoyment of the children and not on dealing with the aftermath of acts of vandalism or installing additional security features to try and prevent future incidents.

“This is a terrible incident that impacts on the daily enjoyment of so many children from our village and takes funds away from other areas of school life where they are needed.

“Let’s show that we’re a united village community and help support our lovely village school at such a difficult time.”

All donations are being paid to the Friends of Goosnargh Oliversons once the fundraiser closes.

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