Lucid Systems hosts a web server in a real cloud in aid of Friends of the Bridge!

Despite severe weather conditions members of the Lucid team pushed on trough high winds and freezing conditions to climb Mount Snowdon on the 2nd of May 2015 bring a web server on-line from the summit in aid of the Friends Of The Bridge.  Our challenge was to carry a web server, networking equipment and power source to the summit and make a website hosted on the server available on-line.  The website was available at snowdonchallenge.lucidsystems.co.uk for the duration of our time at the summit.  Lucid Systems covered all the expenses of the challenge so all money raised will go directly to the Friends of the Bridge to buy essential equipment to aid the development of children with severe learning difficulties.

Friends of The Bridge is a Registered Charity, formed in  1984 to raise funds for equipment and activities to  further enrich the pupils experience at the school. The  uncertainties of the past few years have made it difficult to  identify specific fundraising targets and the charity has  been fairly inactive. Now however, with the future of  the school having become established, with a new  fundraising team of parents, staff and governors and  with demand for places at the school ever growing, the  charity has a renewed sense of purpose. They are  actively pursuing a programme of fundraising events in  the local community as well as seeking support from  carefully selected charitable funders and commercial  sponsors.

Although the Local Authority is meeting the cost of the new  building, this will only provide the basic  accommodation. In order to maintain and develop the  standards of care, education, social and personal  development of pupils at The Bridge they need to purchase  equipment, and in particular construct an outdoor  activity area. Using the outdoor equipment enables pupils to develop motor skills, coordination, social skills  and offers them opportunities to have fun and enjoy  being themselves.

The School

The Bridge is a Special School, based in Ipswich and serving the town and its surrounding area. Whilst Ipswich overall is a thriving town, it does have pockets of deprivation that rank among the poorest in the country. The hinterland is predominantly agricultural, with the attendant problems of rural deprivation. All children entering the school have severe learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties or an autistic spectrum disorder.  Learn more about the Bridge School at www.thebridgeschool.org.uk

The Pupils

The majority (57%) of pupils have severe learning difficulties and an autistic spectrum disorder, 37% have severe learning difficulties and 6% have profound and multiple learning difficulties.

Pupils come from a wide geographical area covering most of South Suffolk with some children travelling over 25 miles but the majority travel between 3 and 10 miles. The pupils come from a variety of backgrounds with a mix in terms of local authority and private homes. A significant number (20%) of children are cared for by single parents, 28% of pupils are eligible for free school meals and a small percentage (5%) are Looked After Children. The majority of pupils are of white European origin with the number of pupils from other ethnic backgrounds increasing during the past 10 years to 32%.