Head praises 'heart-warming' community after flood

Head teacher Nia Powell praised the local community for its "kindness and generosity"

A primary school headteacher has praised the local community for its "heart-warming" response after her school was flooded during Storm Claudia.

Peterchurch Primary School in Herefordshire suffered flooding to its school hall and early years facilities.

On Saturday, the school announced it would be closed while the clean-up took place, with headteacher Nia Powell telling parents she was "hoping" for a Wednesday reopening.

In an update, she said the school would partially reopen next Monday but said she was "deeply grateful" for all the offers of help since it first closed.

In a statement, she said: "On behalf of Peterchurch Primary School, I would like to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has reached out to offer help and support following the recent flooding.

"The kindness and generosity shown by our school community has been truly heart-warming, and we are deeply grateful for all the assistance we have received."

Ms Powell added that her team had worked "tirelessly to carry out repairs and clean and sanitise the school" to ensure it was "safe for pupils and staff".

From Monday, the school has plans to welcome Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils, while early years children are expected to return on Tuesday.

Ms Powell concluded her statement: "Our priority is to protect both the existing and new school buildings, while ensuring that any future mitigation work does not negatively impact neighbouring properties."