St Patrick's NS pupils launch the Sponsor a Sod draw with principal Paul O'Donnell.

'Sponsor a Sod' for Slane school development draw

St Patrick’s National School Slane has launched a 'Sponsor a Sod' Easter draw to develop land to the side and rear of the school to create a football pitch and running area.

The Grand Prize Draw will take place on 11th April in St Patrick’s NS with a top prize of €1,000 up for grabs, a 2nd prize of €500 plus other prizes including premium level Garth Brooks tickets, a two night B&B break with dinner in the Abbey Hotel, Donegal Town, an iPad Mini and dinner for two in the Trocadero restaurant, Dublin. The seller of the first prize will also win €100. There will also be an early bird draw on Friday the 28th of March for all tickets returned by that date. Tickets for the draw are €20.

The project will involve the removal of existing walls and re-laying of ESB cables, as well as the erection of new fencing and the ploughing, draining, grading and re-levelling of the surface.The plans are currently being prepared for planning permission and it is hoped that the new area will be ready for use in the coming school year.

Currently, the junior classes in the school get limited yard time on grass throughout the year and older classes cannot use the grass at the same time that teams are training at lunch breaks. The new area will allow for adequate space for all 284 pupils to be on it at the same time and facilitate the coaching of teams and PE classes. The sports ground development will also be of benefit to the wider Slane community by providing a sports pitch and running area in the heart of the village that will be accessible to local community groups.

Volunteers from the St Patrick’s N.S. Parent Association Committee will be on tour in the Slane area in the coming weeks asking people to give their support to the new school sports ground development. Tickets can also be purchased by contacting any family with pupils in the school or St Patrick’s NS on 041 9824229. 

The fundraising committee would like to sincerely thank all businesses who have generously donated prizes towards the draw.