By John Connell

Published at 11:24, Saturday, 20 October 2012

Flash floods have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to a special school.

Mayfield head Lynne Brownrigg looks at what could be salvaged

Pupils and teachers at Mayfield School on Moresby Road in Whitehaven have been left devastated after their £100,000 high-tech studio room was hit on Wednesday.

It is understood that three internal drainpipes were unable to cope with the volume of rainfall and a fountain gushed into the room.

Head teacher Lynne Brownrigg said: “It’s sad. It cost us a phenomenal amount of money and some of the community have also given us donations.

“The room is a sensory dance-cum-drama studio and the equipment inside is high-spec.

“We are not sure about the extent of the damage but it is an invaluable resource which we have worked hard to put in place.

“It is used by children with quite complex sensory needs and this is now another resource that they don’t have access to.”

She added: “We have only had it up and running for a couple of years.”

The room included lighting and overhead tracking, all of which was computerised.

The equipment was operated by means of a control panel.

It was used to stimulate the imaginations of the pupils, all of whom display severe, complex or profound learning disabilities.

It was used by all the children regardless of their abilities and was part of their timetable of daily activities.

The room is now unusable for the foreseeable future.

The specialists who originally installed the equipment are now helping the school to assess the extent of the damage and to see what – if anything – can be salvaged.

The room was covered in several inches of water which has now subsided.

A staff member said: “It backed up and came up like a chocolate fountain.”

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk