School makeover is simply super

CUTTING the ribbon . . . Mayor of Oldham, Councillor Jim McArdle, pupil Shauna Clare (10) and Chaddy the Owl

PUPILS at Christ Church Primary School can get stuck in thanks to a £7,000 playground makeover.

That’s because the improvements include a digging patch where they can root around, as well as a sandpit, a sensory area and a stage.

The work has been funded by the Royal Bank of Scotland’s Supergrounds Programme, which has transformed more that 850 school grounds across the country.

It aims to help reception and Year 1 pupils to explore the environment and their senses, with the work carried out by the environmental charity Groundwork.

The new playground was opened by the Mayor of Oldham, Councillor Jim McArdle, pupil Shauna Clare (10) and Oldham Athletic mascot Chaddy the Owl.

Suzanne Walton, Groundwork Rochdale and Oldham’s Supergrounds adviser, said: “Before the land was just a few trees with a bit of grass underneath. It wasn’t very user friendly and it got muddy. The children were involved in the design from the start. They put ideas together about what they would like and they were passed to the landscape architect.”

Parent Joanne Evans, who works for RBS, nominated the school for the makeover. She said: “As a parent I know what a difference a playground like this makes to children. I am really proud that the bank, through RBS Supergrounds, has turned the dream into a reality.”