The Friends of Hambleton Primary Academy is a registered charity. We’re a group of parents who have teamed up to raise money for Hambleton Primary Academy by hosting events that the children love. In 2024 our fundraising efforts helped to improve the school library with lots of new books, and we made the daily ‘school run’ a safer experience by purchasing traffic bollards to mark the ‘no parking’ areas near the gates. We finished off the year with a whole school Christmas disco, where the kids partied in their festive jumpers. Our fundraising goals for 2025 are bigger than ever, so we’re looking for new members to help take the PTFA to the next level. For more information or to join the team, email us at: friendsofhambletonpa@gmail.com

Meet the Team:

Sarah Gaffney

I joined the PTFA because I believe that a strong school community, supporting our
children's education and safety is paramount to their development. 
I bring experience in Project Management, which lends my skills to help organise events, support school projects, and enhance the resources available to our students and staff. Outside of the PTFA, I enjoy hiking, camping, socialising, attending music gigs and I'm also an Independent Tropic Ambassador.

 

Caroline Dempsey

I wanted to be part of the PTFA because I want to give something back to our wonderful school. Hambleton has been wonderful support for our family, especially thoughtfully remembering our daughter, Olivia. I’m a Theatre Sister in the NHS, but my most important role is being the best mum to my boys. As a family we love to go out on adventures, rollerblading, paddle boarding and spending time with family. My hobbies are netball, running and reading. The best thing about being part of the PTFA is seeing how all our hard work is paying off and seeing the results benefiting the children.

Nicky Jackson


I joined the PTFA for a few reasons. Having being a teacher myself, I know how little funding schools get for new resources. I want to help raise money for the school so that the children have continued access to quality resources which can support their learning. It is great to see that we are already making a difference for example, providing lots of new books for the library. I think it’s important for children to have happy memories of their time at school. As a member of the PTFA, I can help to organise fun events which give children something to look forward to. Since joining Friends of Hambleton Primary Academy, I have enjoyed meeting new people and making friends with parents from other year groups. We all want to give our children the best opportunities and being a member of the PTFA feels like we are making a difference. I have two sons who attend Hambleton Primary Academy. We love nature, animals and the outdoors. I worked as a teacher for 13 years and after having children, I wanted to focus on my passion which is outdoor learning. I now own and run a forest school called Little Nature Tots for under-fives.

Julie Pearson


I wanted to be part of the PTFA to support the lovely school which my son attends. I love being part of a friendly, fun team that’s making a difference to the school. Being part of the PTFA means we can learn more about the way the school operates, and identify where our support is most needed. It also means we can be creative and plan fun, seasonal events that bring the school and the community together. In my personal life, I work as a Marketing Manager, and any spare time I have is usually spent on the football field as a professional Soccer Mum to my football-mad 7 year old.