Ash Green celebrates its transformation
Just three weeks ago Ash Green School in Bedworth was looking ramshackle and run down. Now the school is celebrating a ‘miracle’ makeover and pupils are taking new pride in their surroundings.
As term ended, every classroom was emptied to clear the way for an army of volunteers to come in and transform the buildings.
Inside and out, every wall was cleaned and prepared in a huge operation organised with military precision. On Easter Saturday hundreds of people came in to help paint the school in a single day.
New carpet was laid and the desks cleaned ready for the start of term. The One Project was co-ordinated by Kings Community Church and caught the imagination of local businesses, residents, church-goers, pupils, staff and governors. As well as donating time, they gave materials and financial contributions totalling £100,000.
The final results of the whirlwind transformation are being celebrated and the organisers thanked this Wednesday, and Warwickshire’s Lord Lieutenant Martin Dunne will be shown the school.
More than 600 volunteers, committed over 1,500 volunteered days - about 14,000 hours of free labour.
The following areas were cleaned, prepared, gloss painted and emulsioned:
reception, main hall, staff room, dining room &and kitchen, 44 classrooms, 24 corridors, seven stairwells, seven toilets and 14 other rooms.
Over 2200 chairs and desks were refurbished, along with storage items in over 44 different areas. More than 3000 square metres of gardens were landscaped and over a mile of external fencing was painted.
Headteacher Graham Tyrer estimated that the cost of the project to the school would have been £500,000. He said: “This amounts one of the most important events in the life of the school. We have been given a miraculous gift and we will seek ways to thank our community friends, ways of looking after what we have been given and ways in which we can ‘pay forward’ this stunning and generous project.”
Ralph Coleman of Kings Community Church said: “This was a very rewarding project which brought all members of the community together. The army, the fire brigade, members of church congregations of different denominations, local businesses and people of all ages connected with schools came together and the results have been stunning. The project went very smoothly and we all feel that we have helped make a terrific difference to the school.”