PUPILS and parents of a Cwmbran school temporarily shut after its nursery and infant classrooms were destroyed by fire raised more than £500 at a fundraising event on Saturday.

Coed Eva Primary School is set to reopen today after a blaze gutted one of its buildings on New Year's Day.

Jemma Britton, whose four-year-old daughter Jessica Hale started at the school in September, spearheaded efforts to collect money on Monmouth Walk in Cwmbran Shopping on Saturday.

She said the first thing her daughter had said on hearing about the blaze was: “Can I put my school uniform on and help?”

Ms Britton said of the fundraising: “This is just the way of the kids doing something. They have all been asking.”

And she added once the total of £506.71 had been counted: “I’m overwhelmed by it. It’s absolutely fantastic. I’m really, really, really pleased for them all. Everything was amazing.”

Fellow mum Amy Hatton, whose son Mason had his face painted as a pirate in the fundraising effort on Saturday, said: “He loves [school]. He was devastated by [the fire]. At first he thought the school was going to be rebuilt overnight.”

She learned of the fire on New Year’s Day after the fire swept through the classrooms earlier that morning.

She added: “I live near the school. I woke up to a phone call from my mother to tell me. We were straight down there.

“We just can’t believe anyone would think about doing that. It is not just the parents and the children who have been affected – it’s the whole community who are getting involved.

“Everyone has been supportive.”

The efforts were supported in the town centre by a number of Coed Eva teachers and its headteacher, Gill Ellis. Also backing the effort were mascots including Spongebob Squarepants, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, George from Peppa Pig and Hello Kitty, face painters and a balloon artist.

Fire investigators believe the nursery and infants block caught fire after a lean-to shelter was deliberately set alight.

Fun runs will be held at Cwmbran Stadium on Sunday, January 24 in another effort to support the school.

People can run, jog or walk 5k from 10.30am or take part in another event and do five laps, three laps or one lap of the stadium’s racetrack at later times.

It costs £5 for an adult and £1 for a child under 16 to take part. Registration is available from Cwmbran Stadium or the Pontypool Acting Living Centre. Alternatively email coedevafunrun@yahoo.co.uk.

All entry forms must be submitted by noon on Friday, January 22.

Two men and four teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of arson after the Coed Eva Primary School fire.

They have all been released on police bail pending further enquiries.