A TEAM of Southampton teenagers have refurbished a local primary school as part of their community project.

Southampton 48, a team of young people from the Prince’s Trust raised £872 to refurbish Foundry Lane Primary School in Shirley.

The group, based at Redbridge Fire Station, got in contact with the school following a major flood inside the Year R building at the start of the summer causing up to £15,000 damage to three classrooms and a shared learning area.

Kathryn Lugg, school business manager, said: “Following a major flood inside Year R at the beginning of the summer, our school has had to find over £15,000 to repair 3 classrooms and a shared learning area.

“This left nothing to invest in brightening up our outside learning spaces and purchase new resources.

“Thanks to the amazing work of these young people and some incredible fundraising from our school community, we are really excited about our Year R outdoor and indoor spaces."

Bosses at the school were forced to close the premises following the damage to its Year R and Year 5 classrooms, corridors and communal areas.

The school thanked the team with cards handmade and signed by the Year R pupils and a bag of chocolates each.

The team spent two days at Millbrook Tesco bag packing to raise money to refurbish the school’s playground.

They then spent a total of two weeks working on the renovation which includes a fresh paint job to existing work and a new sandpit.

Ryan Strudwick, team leader for Southampton 48, said: “The young adults who completed this project will hopefully be able to use this experience to help their future, to put on their CVs and to talk about in an interview.

"It would have boosted their confidence and to know they helped there local community and given them a huge sense of achievement. The team should be proud of the work they have achieved.”