Schools are in the grip of a funding crisis. Rising costs and inflation have left budgets stretched to breaking point, forcing schools to make difficult decisions about what should be funded and prioritised — enriching experiences, arts, trips, new equipment, enough teaching or support staff — these are all vital to children's development but not everything is possible within the schools increasingly tight budget.

Friends of Gillespie exists to fill that gap. By raising funds directly from our community — parents, local businesses and supporters — we give the school resources that the budget simply can't stretch to: enriching learning beyond the curriculum, arts programmes, new equipment and experiences that every child deserves. We take our direction for what we should fund from the school to ensure we meet the needs they need. We exist so Gillespie Primary can say yes.