Parents have banded together to raise thousands of pounds for air conditioning in their children’s school so pupils can learn in a cool environment during a heatwave.

The team of mums and dads are on a mission to raise £11,000 for Chingford Church of England Primary School and hope to reach their target at this weekend’s summer fair.

Mum Shelley Williamson said ‘The Great British Summer Fair’, which reception parents have been organising since January, will be “unlike any fair anyone has seen in the community”.

The event on Saturday, July 14, will include five bouncy castles, a giant water balloon fight, trampolines, a reverse bungee and a gin bar run by Kikirocs of George Lane, South Woodford.

She said: “I’ve been to a lot of summer fairs and I’ve never seen anything like the organisation that has gone into this.

“We’re going to fill up 1,500 water balloons for a fight and this fair really is going to be massive.

“There’s a cash prize of £500 in our raffle, kindly donated by Vauxhall.”

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The project which costs £22,000 in total will see eight classrooms as well as communal areas at the school’s junior site installed with state-of-the-art air conditioning.

The group, who have so far raised £3,000 by holding a sausage sizzle and a concert, are also running an online auction to meet their target.

The fair will run from 12.30pm to 4.30pm at the school’s junior site in Cambridge Road, Chingford.

While children will be entertained with tennis, mini golf and hook-a-duck, the adults will be treated to live entertainment, darts and a pamper stall especially for the ladies.

“We’ve been living this fair for months. It’s been stressful at times but it’s brought us parents together and it’s been a great experience,” added Mrs Williamson.

Lindsey Lampard, headteacher, said: “The Parents’ Association has worked tirelessly to prepare for this event and hope the whole community will enjoy it.”

She added: “All funds raised will be put towards fitting air con into the school where the last few weeks have seen temperatures inside 38C – too hot for children to concentrate in.”