10/03/14
SPECIAL SCHOOL OFFICIALLY OPENS ITS DOORS
Parents, local residents, businesses and the project team, which included local building contractor Speller Metcalfe, were invited to the school to acknowledge and celebrate the completion of the project that had been in the pipeline for a number of years.
Blackmarston is the only facility in the county that provides learning facilities for primary aged pupils aged 2-11 with a varied range of special needs, but classrooms and spaces had become ill-equipped in a school that was never originally designed to cater for pupils with such diverse requirements.
Mr Clive Richards, a generous and long-standing supporter of the project said: “We discussed this year after year and all of a sudden here it is. It is difficult to recall how bad it was before – so overcrowded it was truly unbelievable.”
Steve Speller, Joint Managing Director at Speller Metcalfe was presented with a certificate of thanks alongside his building team, who were integral to getting the scheme off the ground. “There had been a lot of delay leading up to the start of the build, and we have been able to help the school achieve a lot more than was initially envisaged,” said Steve.
“We are truly proud to be part of such an important project for Herefordshire, one that is already changing the lives of those children who attend Blackmarston and will continue to do so for future generations of pupils and their families.”
To celebrate their new school pupils put on performances including singing, dancing and showed off their creative artwork as a way of thanking all of those involved.
“This new school has changed the lives of our very special children, and has now provided them with the facilities they so richly deserve,” said Sian Bailey, Headteacher at Blackmarston. “It was of the utmost importance that we could work with a contractor who understood the needs of our children and would work with us, and not just around us.
“Speller Metcalfe has gone out of their way to support our children, staff and the build in every way possible and we are not only celebrating the official opening of our wonderful school, but also using this event as an opportunity to really thank the project team for all their hard work in getting us here.”