HOLY Trinity Primary School officially opened its new school garden and nursery outdoor play area at a special ceremony held on Tuesday, October 27 .
Pupils, parents, staff and representatives from the community were present on the night to see Fr Gerard Tremer, Parish Priest, cut the special ribbon, bless and declare the new facility officially open.
Also present were representatives of Cookst
own District Council, Lafarge, Copeland, Hilton Meats and HSBC and other groups which committed financial and human resources to the project. A special word of thanks goes to Loretta Bullock from CCMS who helped the school to secure funding for the project from the Department of Education.
The nursery outdoor play area was developed under the banner of the Business in the Community Scheme.
The programme links up the education and business sectors in innovative and collaborative projects, with the aim of enhancing the physical environment in schools.
The firms involved in the scheme were generous in deploying staff and resources, ensuring that the project became a reality. The school is grateful to Hilary Dixon of Business in the Community who provided the necessary liaison with businesses which resulted in everything progressing smoothly.
At school level the projects were coordinated by Miss Fiona Hampsey (Environmental Projects Coordinator).
Keen to continue with the development of the outdoor space, Miss Hampsey enlisted the help of a huge team of parent, pupil and staff volunteers to transform an unused piece of land, within the grounds of the school, into an outdoor classroom. The work was completed throughout the summer months, often very late at night and at weekends. Alongside Miss Hampsey was school caretaker, Tommy Hill, who worked tirelessly.
Specialist skills and services were provided to the project at no additional cost by: Stephen Mulligan and Peter Cahill (joinery), Gerard Fox and Co (bricklaying and stone masonry), Barry Thompson (paving), Fabian Campbell (landscaping) Patrick and Gerald Muldoon (engineering), Conrad Muldoon (site engineer), Gerald Scullion (water features services), HM Electrics (electricity services), John Lynn (plumbing), Gary Powell and Eddie Loughran (community services), Louise Byrne (artist - sculptures), Gary Reid and Liam Mc Cabe (site clearance) and Niall Loughran (engraving).
The success of this project was due to the input of Mr and Mrs Gerard McAleer (McAleer Contracts) who coordinated the technical side of the project and gave enormously of their time and expertise. Materials were also provided by Mr McAleer, again at no cost to the school. Also critical to the successful completion of the project was Mr Eugene Mulligan who used his many years of experience in the construction trade to very good effect.
The Board of Governors, staff and pupils of Holy Trinity Primary School would like to thank everyone involved in the project. The new facilities will greatly enhance the teaching and learning environment for current and for future pupils of the school.
