An Inverness teacher has launched a fundraising campaign to ensure an unusual piece of school equipment can be used.
Jo Blair, principle support for learning teacher at Inverness Royal Academy wants to raise almost £5,000 for a ball cleaning machine for the ball pit in the sensory room.
The ball pit has been in place since the new school opened in 2016, and the balls now need thorough and regular cleaning to make them safe for pupils to use after the holidays.
The 3ft high pit holds around 1,000 light plastic balls and is a much-loved feature with ASN pupils who not only find it fun, but a calming and relaxing space.
Mrs Blair said staff had cleaned them all by hand, but stressed a machine would be far more efficient.
“We took them all out, put them in a football net, washed them and dried them all by hand,” she said. “It took hours.
“The machine we’re looking for is like a vacuum cleaner, sucking them in and spitting them out clean and dry.”
Most pupils use the ball pit for one or two sessions a week, but due to coronavirus it has become a “no-go zone”.
Mrs Blair said: “With the Covid outbreak, it’s a no go-zone, and if it’s closed it’s a wasted resource”.
To support the appeal, search for Cleaner Balls on Go Fund Me.