Making our Dining Room Great Again
By The Friends of Ardvreck
Not long after Ali Kinge took over the headship of our school, we had our first Friends of Ardvreck meeting of the academic year. The first one is always a fun and exciting meeting. We greet new volunteers and welcome them onto the team. We brain storm new and exciting ideas for fundraising events and projects that we can run or help with that add something extra to the wonderful experience our children are having at Ardvreck.
One of the first things Ali said was that she would love to restore the Dining room to its former glory, by removing the canteen feel of the place, and making it a dining experience – homely and welcoming for all the children. To make it a room to be proud of that we would welcome visiting families and guests. To make it a room that is multi-functional, that would lend itself to being used for different events, both for school and possibly for external functions – therefore creating a new revenue stream.
The main focal point of the dining room, is the fireplace. It is still in its original condition and hints at the grand room it used to be. Speaking to Old Ardvreckians allowed us to understand how ‘Hogwarts like’ the old dining room had been, we have even found a photo of it displayed on the mood board below.
Then we spoke to the children, they see the current dining room as a place to run into, to eat, and then run out of. It is not a space they associate with spending time together, as you would wish your own children to feel when sitting at the family dining / kitchen table. A place to bond, share and enjoy.
We embarked on trying to find out what had happened to the old Ardvreck dining tables – sadly we have not been able to locate them, nobody working at the school has any memory of them in their time.
So, we got planning.
The idea is to have oak refectory tables and benches made, each sitting 12, with benches. The oak will match the Fireplace – that is our point of reference.
Oak is a hard wood which will only get better with age, it will last for generations of Ardvreckians to come – and will be designed to outlive all of us!! It will be our legacy.
The beauty of solid wood is that we can have it branded with the Ardvreck logo carved into the pedestal leg and personalised with family names of those who have generously gifted part or all of a table.
Tables will be made to fit the space exactly so there is no wasted space, and to our exact requirements i.e. they will need to be moved out on occasion so the tops will be removable.
Beautiful tables and benches do not complete the story though, the trophy cabinets and cladding on that wall in the dining room are tired and have definitely seen better days.
So, to complete the picture the trophy cabinets have been redesigned in the same oak as the tables so that each house has its own part of the cabinet, and the cladding will be redone to match the fireplace wall and the trophy cabinets.
Due to it being a large project, we have split it into phases.
Phase 1: Tables and Benches – to be in situ ready for September 2019.
Phase 2: Trophy Cabinets, cladding, re-painting, roman blinds to frame the windows. – Christmas holidays 2019, to be ready for January 2020.
Gifting
It was suggested that a family may like to gift a table and benches, in which case it would be carved with their family name, or whatever they would like. It will be their family gift to Ardvreck – and will cost £2750.
Alternatively if you would like to gift part of a table, we can fit 3 family names on each side of a table so 6 in total, if you would like to do this, it would be at a cost of £500.
Please contact Katie Peters (katiepeters77@gmail.com) who will take your details.
Due to the nature of carving, the deadline for this is the 20thJuly 2019.
We will be sending this information out to all old Ardvreckians as well. There are obviously a limited number of tables and therefore spaces, so don’t waste time and lose out on this once in a lifetime opportunity for your families place in Ardvreck history!