WIREDGOV

YPO has donated more than £20,000 worth of products to St Bridget's CE Primary School after devastating floods destroyed classrooms.

The school, located in Brigham, has been working on bare concrete floors and using emergency resources after heavy rainfall impacted the county. 

The school building suffered severe damage after flooding twice, first in November and again in December 2025, with water reaching up to 12 inches above floor level.

This has caused a huge burden on the small village primary school, with everything from furniture, school workbooks, and reading books destroyed, significantly disrupting children's learning.

Last month, YPO delivered seven pallets of discontinued supplies as part of its commitment to supporting local communities.

Donations included stationery, school workbooks, arts and craft materials and a range of school essentials.

Building works to restore children's learning spaces cannot be undertaken until all tenders for the schedule of works are returned to Cumberland Council’s insurance provider. Some remedial works for the school are not expected to start until the school summer holidays.

This donation follows the Wakefield-based organisation’s long-term social value missions. Last year, YPO donated £9,300 worth of discontinued stock to Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises.

Donations to the school will support both little learners and older year groups, helping the school return lessons to normal.

Parents, staff and older pupils joined together to help unpack the large delivery from YPO.

By supporting schools through difficult times, YPO continues to support young people's learning by creating safe learning environments.

Julie Hawley, YPO’s Executive Director, recently said:

“We are proud to support the school with these donations following the devastating floods.

“When the school reached out to us after the floods, we knew we wanted to help in any way we could. Giving back to communities, especially in times of need, is central to our missions and what we stand for.”

“Our YPO team came together across Sales, Logistics, Procurement and our Warehouse teams to ensure the school had essential supplies they needed to keep school children learning.”

Lisa Hemingway, Headteacher of St Bridget's CE Primary School, recently said:

“I’m still a little stunned by the incredibly kind gesture from YPO. We cannot thank the organisation enough for their responsiveness and support during such a challenging time for our school.

“It is gestures like this that really do restore your faith in humanity.”