THREE months after its official grand opening was delayed by the Covid-19 lockdown, a nursery held a ceremony to celebrate the new facility.
St Mary’s RC School, in Barnard Castle, had planned to open its newly created nursery in January. Although they were able to welcome pupils, the official opening had to be postponed.
Following the easing of restrictions, staff were finally able to host a small celebration last week, with retired reception teacher Sue Gilmore cutting a gold ribbon to mark the occasion. Mrs Gilmore, who spent 16 years teaching at the school before she retired three years ago, was overwhelmed with the transformation.
She said: “It is really beautiful and it works so well. It’s so lovely to see that the children can be as active as they want in the different areas, but there is space for them to be quiet as well.”
Head teacher Lesley Box said: “We thought it was really fitting for Mrs Gilmore to do the honours of cutting the ribbon because she was with the school for so long and has kept in touch with everyone.”
Refurbishment of the building took about six weeks to complete. Two former classrooms were joined into one large airy space. The open plan design has retained original features of the historic building including decorative truss supports.
Mrs Box added: “We tried to keep a warm feeling and have created spaces so the children can move from area to area. We wanted to give it a natural theme as well to inspire the children.” The nursery still has room for more children. Call 01833 637029.
