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Pupils given glimpse of school's new sports facilities

Pupils and staff from St Peter’s Catholic College in South Bank have been inspecting progress on their new fitness suite and changing facilities, which are due to be completed and installed for the start of the new school year.

The party was given a VIP tour of Cleveland Sitesafe’s facilities at Dockside Road, Middlesbrough, where the modular buildings are being fabricated. The buildings will accommodate 32 boys and 32 girls and include showers, toilets and disabled facilities.

Cleveland Safesite was chosen for the contract after impressing Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust, which runs the school, with its know-how and experience of completing similar projects.

“Various companies were interested in building this for us but none of them were local, so once I’d made contact with Cleveland Sitesafe and learned about their reputation, we met them and were very impressed,” said NPCAT’s capital projects and asset manager Gareth James.

“As well as the school, South Bank Juniors boys and girls already use the site, and the new facilities will hopefully be used by the wider community.

“The school is a hive of activity at weekends and we’ll now be able to develop further partnerships with local groups, so it’s a real asset for the whole area.” Cleveland Sitesafe designs and builds modular buildings for clients throughout the country in sectors including hotels, tourism and outdoor leisure.

“This is the kind of work we do all the time but it’s unusual for us to be working locally, as much of what we do is for organisations in the south of England,” said sales and operations director Joe Taylor.

“We’re delighted to have built this partnership with NPCAT and it’s lovely to welcome the pupils here to see the work taking place.”

St Peter’s, which is on Normanby Road, celebrated its 80th birthday this year. Famous former pupils include Middlesbrough and England legend Wilf Mannion, F1 engineer Rob Smedley and folk singer Vin Garbutt.

Other enhancements in an ambitious programme include a new digital learning wing and exhibition centre along with a comprehensive facelift to the outside and interior of the famous building.

The work is part of a busy programme of projects being carried out at the 27 schools in the NPCAT portfolio.

Groundworks have started for a new dining hall at Trinity Catholic College, Middlesbrough. The two secondary projects will cost around £1.6m in total.

Work at primary schools includes new access to St Thomas More Catholic Primary at Easterside from Ladgate Lane, thanks to the trust’s partnership with Acklam Rugby Club.

“We’re now enabling parents to come down Ladgate Lane and Lacy Road and we’re creating an opening in Acklam Rugby Club car park that can be used as a collection and drop-off point,” said Gareth.

“We’re installing double gates, a tarmacked entrance area and a 100-metre path linking to the school.

“The work will open up St Thomas More as part of the Trinity family, linking the two sites more closely together. It will also make it easier for families in the two housing developments on Ladgate Lane to access the school.”

New signage has already gone up and the work will be completed in time for the new school year.

Work is also taking place to improve access to St Margaret Clitherow’s, in South Bank, via Skippers Lane.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Michael McGeary .