A school has opened an outdoor classroom after a helping hand from Rolls Royce.

Coates Lane Primary School in Barnoldswick were elated when the production company said they would help rebuild the rotting outdoor area which the school had been quoted £8,000 to replace.

The outdoor area, which includes a nature garden, a growing area, a stage area and a quadrant for relaxation and reflection, was opened to pupils last Tuesday (February 08).

Headteacher Sarah White said: “We were thrilled to officially open our new outdoor classroom with the team from Rolls Royce Barnoldswick.

“Over the last few months, we have had amazing support from Rolls Royce and they’ve completely renovated our outdoor classroom.

“It’s gone from a rotten, overgrown and un-useable area to a beautiful, safe and amazing outdoor learning space.

“This is so incredible for us as it fits in with our ethos of nurturing children’s mental health and getting them outdoors as much as possible.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the outcome and so very grateful to Rolls Royce and the staff who came and grafted day in, day out to create this incredible area for our pupils.

“Community spirit in Barnoldswick is very much still alive and kicking!”

Rolls Royce bought materials and provided five staff members who replaced the rotten wood, cleaned and power washed, removed overgrowth, re-laid membrane and new woodchip, painted all the wood and created a new eating area.

Danielle Firth from Rolls Royce who worked closely with the school on the project said it is important for the company to create relationships with the community.

She said: “We approached Coates Lane Primary School in 2021 to see if there was anything we could do to support them.

“The last few years have been tough on everyone and we were keen to help where we could.

“Mrs White suggested a few different ideas and one of those was to remove the decking or if possible, renovate the outdoor area.

“It was decided that we could repair and renovate the area so that it could be used again.

“It’s important to continue to build these strong relationships with the community and inspire the future generation of engineers.”