A headteacher, whose ankle injury turned out to be motor neurone disease (MND), has fulfilled a dream to open an £89,000 playground at her former school.
Claire Park had to retire from Hartburn Primary School in Stockton after being told she has MND, a condition which causes muscle weakness, in January 2025.
Her husband Matthew likened the condition to a game of “whack-a-mole”, with new health challenges appearing every day, but said the family remained positive.
Former colleagues, friends and businesses raised more than £100,000 to grant the former head’s years-long wish to refurbish the playground, and provide funds for the awareness charity the MND Association.
Claire had been headteacher at the school since 2020 [Hartburn Primary School]
Speaking via artificial intelligence, which uses old recordings of her voice, she said she had wanted to open the park years before her diagnosis.
“When I was headteacher I had a vision for this space and wanted to create somewhere really special for our children,” she said.
“That vision was something I cared deeply about, so to come back today to see it become a reality is especially special to me.”
The playground features a shed, flower beds, climbing frames and astroturf and has been named Mrs Park’s Park.
Jill Ellison, the school’s chair of governors, said it was a “dream come true”.
The new park cost about £89,000 which was fundraised by the community [BBC]
Matthew Park said MND had been a “very difficult” disease to deal with.
“There’s a new symptom, new challenge every day and we adjust, try and find a rhythm and then the next day there’s another one that crops up that we have to adjust and deal with.”
He said he no longer considered it a “rare disease” as it was clear “there’s a lot of people affected”.
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