Somerset West Primary School Bake Sale

Somerset West primary school bake sale raises R2,340 — cost of venue hire, admin and the chairperson’s ‘travel expenses’ comes to R2,290

Somerset West

The annual bake sale held by the governing body of a Somerset West primary school last Saturday has been declared a resounding success, having raised a gross total of R2,340 for the school’s library fund — a figure the chairperson of the parent committee described in her closing address as “honestly better than last year, if you adjust for the rain.”

After a full accounting of costs – including R680 for venue hire of the school hall, which the school owns; R340 for printed programmes, lanyards and a vinyl banner reading “COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER”; R195 for the hire of a coffee urn already present in the school kitchen; R410 in “administrative and co-ordination expenses” the treasurer confirmed she had not yet fully itemised; and R665 in travel and subsistence costs submitted by the chairperson, who lives four kilometres from the school and arrived by car — the net surplus available for the library fund stands at R50.

The governing body confirmed in a statement that the R50 will be transferred to the library account “in due course, once we resolve a small outstanding query about the receipt for the bunting,” adding that the bunting, a string of triangular flags purchased at R280, could not be located after the event but was believed to still be “somewhere on the premises.”

Plans for next year’s bake sale are already underway. The chairperson has proposed expanding the event to include a silent auction, a guest speaker and what she has described as a “modest but necessary” budget increase to ensure the occasion properly reflects the school’s standing in the community.

A subcommittee has been formed to consider the proposal. It will meet quarterly.