Sadly, and a stark reminder of how difficult times are for charities at present, Pictologue, a charitable organisation based in Richmond-Upon-Thames who supported local children with speech, language, communication and/or emotional wellbeing needs, went into administration in early February and became insolvent in late February leading to closure.

Strathmore School has built a strong relationship with the charity over the years through various activities and partnerships, and the Founder, Bethany, previously worked for Strathmore before she went on to create the charity.

As a result of Pictologue closing, Friends of Strathmore School (FOSS), our school charity, has been selected as the primary beneficiary of all the “used” stock, resources and equipment owned by Pictologue, estimated at £4K in market value, and a truly wonderful gift – words aren’t quite enough to express just how grateful and appreciative we are, and what this means in supporting the delivery of lessons and teaching in the school, especially as we, like all schools, have had to increase control of spending given the current economic climate.

The donated resources including books, toys, puzzles, teaching aids and ADL/ PECS symbols that accompany the equipment, will provide hours of enjoyment and educational enrichment for our learners. The stock is currently being allocated and divided up equally for classes in the school. If you would like to lend any of these resources over the termly holidays starting with the summer break, please enquire directly with your child’s class teacher.

As part of the donation of stock, an offer was accepted from FOSS to purchase all the brand-new stock belonging to Pictologue which is still packaged and will be sold at our Ham Fair to raise much needed funds for our school charity. The “new” stock is of a very high quality and in excellent condition - brands include Melissa & Doug, Le Toy Van, Orchid Toys, Tidlo, Battat and many more. Please make a note of 8^th June to join us at the fair – more information to follow. All remaining “new” stock that is not sold at the fair will be allocated to classes in early September.

I would also like to add a big thank you to Jane F, Sweta and Rebecca (school mums), who helped me organise the donation and collect/ deliver the new stock. Thank you for your help!

Best wishes, Jane Curzon (FOSS@strathmore.org.uk)