Peter Blake raffle raises thousands for Brighton school

Sir Peter Blake, who designed the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band cover, visited Middle Street School in 2014, and has donated a box of prints worth £1,250 to help raise much-needed funds.

Hosted by Brighton gallery artrepublic, more than 450 raffle tickets were sold with proceeds donated to the school.

The money will go towards transforming Middle Street Nursery, which recently closed due to budget constraints, into a new Arts Centre.

With a reinforced dancefloor, big screen and blackout blinds, the space will not only be used by Middle Street pupils, it will be available to hire to external groups and classes.

Headteacher Julie Aldous said: “With impending cuts we have to think about how we can make the school more self-reliant while ensuring our pupils continue getting the best education. While we’re very sad the nursery was forced to close, it’s presented us with an opportunity.

“Reserved for school-use during school hours, the new Arts Centre will be available to hire in the evenings, weekends and during school holidays. We hope the space will become a great new venue for classes, children’s parties and possibly even events and screenings during the Brighton Festival.”

The revenue generated from hiring the space will feed back into the school budget, contributing to maintenance, new equipment and staffing costs.

Lawrence Alkin, founder of artrepublic and parent to Miri Alkin who is in Year 2, presented the cheque to Middle Street School. He said: “It’s heartening that Peter Blake fans and the local community came together to raise a significant amount for the school. We’re all delighted the money will be put to such good use. I’m also genuinely impressed with the foresight and resilience of the school in using the money to make money at a time when school budgets are so uncertain.”

The raffle winner is Annette from Hove who bought a ticket for her son after he purchased the Peter Blake box set during the original print release and later that evening accidentally left it in a local car park. When he returned it was gone. The box set includes five Brighton-inspired prints and is worth £1,250.

For more information on school cuts, visit: www.saveourschools.co.uk