Tesco Twickenham handed Heathfield's PTA £440 on 16 September, towards three backless benches in the reception playground and two curved ones for juniors.
A Twickenham primary school’s parent-teacher association was handed a £440 cheque from Tesco in its playground on Wednesday 16 September, money it says will go towards five new benches for children to sit on at breaktime.
Friends of Heathfield Schools’ Partnership, the PTA at Heathfield Infant and Junior School on Cobbett Road, TW2 6EN, told Richmond Online the donation came from the Tesco store on Mogden Lane and followed a year of the store backing its fundraising events and paying for enrichment activities for pupils. Staff from the store presented the cheque, dated 16 September 2026, alongside the school’s two co-headteachers and children from the school.
The PTA is a year old. It was set up in September 2025 and says it has raised more than £10,000 since, which has paid for dance workshops, hatching ducklings, the Year 6 leavers’ disco and a visit from Santa Claus at Christmas.
Three backless benches and two curved ones, this term
The £440 goes towards what the PTA calls long-lasting composite seating across the school’s playgrounds. Three backless benches are due in the reception playground this autumn term, and two curved benches in the junior playground.
The PTA also sent the site plan it is working from, and it marks seven bench positions across the grounds rather than only this term’s five. Two are labelled as small children’s benches and one as a traditional wooden bench, all three in the play area at the top of the plan; a rainbow bench and a curved bench are marked on the painted playground; another is labelled a traditional bench; and a seventh, on the far side of the site, is labelled “curved bench, removed but never replaced”.
The PTA has not put a total cost on the seating, and its fundraising for the benches is still running.
“It’s not just about the generous donations”
Vanessa Thornton, vice-chair of Friends of Heathfield Schools’ Partnership, said: “For a new PTA, having a partnership with a local business has been invaluable. It’s not just about the generous donations, it’s about having someone who genuinely wants to get involved and help us make a difference.”
Helen Child, co-headteacher of Heathfield Infant and Junior School, said: “Thank you so much, the donations have supported a number of PTA events throughout the year. It was brilliant to host a parent teacher quiz night, even if the teachers’ table did rather embarrassingly finish last! Events like these bring people together and raise funds that allow us to do really special things for our students. The money donated today will go towards our benches, which our children will really enjoy, nice and relaxing in the afternoon when they’re outside.”
The year with the store was arranged through Hira Parmer, Tesco Twickenham’s community champion, who the PTA says worked with it to identify what the school actually needed. Parmer said: “We’ve loved supporting Heathfield over the past year. Whether it’s helping with fairs, supplying donations or supporting fundraising events, it’s been a pleasure to work with such a dedicated group of parents, staff and pupils. We’re delighted our donation will help create something that children can enjoy for years to come.”
Two dads, ten miles and a £1,000 target
The next stage of the bench fundraising is a run. Two Heathfield fathers are entering the Cabbage Patch 10-mile race for the PTA, with the store backing them, and the PTA says they have raised almost £500 of a £1,000 target that will go to the bench campaign. Their donation page is Jonny and Clyde’s 10 mile run with the Cabbage Patch 10.
What it means for you
If you live near the school or have children there, the three things the PTA is asking for are money towards the benches, volunteers and local businesses willing to do what the Mogden Lane store did.
- Donate to the run: the Zeffy page takes card payments and the PTA says the money goes to the benches.
- Volunteer or offer support: the PTA’s address is fohsp.heathfield@gmail.com. It says it welcomes volunteers, local businesses and residents who are not parents at the school.
- Watch for the benches: the two curved benches are expected to go in over half-term, with the three backless ones in the reception playground this term.
Everything above comes from the PTA’s own statement and photographs, sent to Richmond Online on 18 September. If your school, club or charity in the borough has something similar, send it to us and we will run it.
If you are looking for the practical Richmond information instead, our pages on bin collection days, parking in Richmond and council tax bands are kept up to date.
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