The Hargreaves Foundation supports Seamab School

The Trustees of The Hargreaves Foundation are pleased to announce that funding has been granted to Seamab, a charity providing sector-leading residential care and education to vulnerable children across Scotland, many of whom have suffered abuse and neglect.

The school’s origins date back over 80 years and they have been providing specialised care, therapeutic support, and education to meet children’s needs. Until recently the school was registered to teach children from 5 to 13. They now have registration to teach children up to 18 years.

Currently operating from a 40-year-old converted residential house, Seamab are challenged by the lack of facilities necessary to deliver the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. Seamab will use the funding to support their ‘Building our Future’ project involving the construction of a new school, and they invited the Hargreaves Foundation to fund the new gym hall.

With the current school not having a gym hall or suitably sized indoor space, the children have a serious lack of access to participatory sport and as such are missing out on critical opportunities to develop motor skills, balance, co-ordination, and fitness. The new gym hall is planned to be the size of a badminton court, enabling multi-functional use. Assemblies, concerts, sporting activities and dining will all take place in the new facility.

The funding will not only benefit the children attending the school, but also the wider community who will have access to the gym hall via community groups, fitness, and private hires. As there is no other similar sized facility in the local area, it is estimated that funding this gym hall will benefit 60-100 users in the first year.