During the recent school holidays, an area of one of the classrooms at Narberth primary school was converted into a domestic kitchen layout for teaching the pupils basic skills in cooking and food preparation.

This came about when headteacher, Mrs. Nia Ward, contacted Narberth and Whitland Rotary Club’s past president, Mary Adams, asking if the local club could help in raising funds for the project which she had in mind. When this was mentioned at a club meeting, Narberth architect Ken Morgan suggested that one of his clients was installing a new kitchen and perhaps the old serviceable units might be available for use. Subsequently, measurements were taken of the classroom by one of the architects staff, Llew Bevan, and he designed a few layout options which were presented to Mrs. Ward.

Ken Morgan takes up the story by telling how his clients and various contractors with whom he regularly worked were able to contribute to this mini project.

He said: “My clients Mr. and Mrs. F. Winder gladly donated the kitchen fittings which were of good quality. They were glad to see them being put to a re-purposed use.

“Adam Merry, of Merry Bros (Milford Haven), carefully dismantled and transported them to the school.

“Neil Rossiter, the caretaker, came back and forth during the half term holidays to accommodate the tradesmen to avoid Health & Safety issues during term time.

“Jason Morgan, of F D S Construction (Narberth), fitted all the units and purchased some new plinths for finishing the job.

“Howdens, of Haverfordwest, supplied (free of charge) new worktops which FDS fitted.

“The school had a Baby Belling electric cooker which was commandeered and Jason Morgan fitted it in.

“Andrew Thomas, of Havenkey (Narberth), did the electrical wiring for the cooker and a water heater.

“Tony Ensom and his council members agreed that Narberth & Whitland Rotary Club would buy a new fridge.

“Rotarian and president-elect Elaine Bradbury, of Havenkey, purchased and donated a new under-sink hot water heater and a pressure valve.

“Tim Lewis and Matthew Jenkins, of Lewis & Jenkins (Whitland), did all the water plumbing and waste pipes to discharge out through the cavity wall.

“Rotarian Ken Morgan purchased a 35-litre wheeled water carrier into which the waste water discharged because there were no nearby drains.

“After each use the caretaker wheels this container to a remote waste water gulley position.

“Mr. and Mrs. Winder also donated to the school a microwave oven, kettle, teapot and toaster to make the installation complete.”

To sum up, it was a joint effort and head teacher Nia Ward sent a note from the school to say: “We are immensely grateful to Ken, his clients and the building team for their generosity towards developing the ‘Food Prep’ area at the school. Planning for the new Donaldson Curriculum, we are in the process of creating learning centres around the school for developing life skills within the day’s timetable. The four Core Purposes of the Successful Futures Curriculum expect children to be developed as:

• Ambitious, capable learners who are ready to learn throughout their lives.

• Enterprising, creative contributors who are ready to play a full part in life and work.

• Ethical, informed citizens who are ready to be citizens of Wales and the world.

• Healthy, confident individuals who are ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.

Mrs Ward added: “The Food Prep area will allow the school to plan purposeful sessions with the above developmental areas in mind. We are so fortunate to have a supportive community at Narberth, especially that of the Narberth and Whitland Rotary association. We are indebted to them.”