New £213,000 pre-school building opens to children

MORE than 50 people attended the grand opening of the new Whitchurch Pre-School building.

Parents, children, fundraisers and members of the pre-school committee gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Friday.

The building in Eastfield Lane cost £219,000 and replaces the old one which was about 50 years old and had fallen into disrepair.

A maintenance check last year found that the main structural beam had started to crumble. A structural engineer was asked to make the building safe but it was deemed too risky.

The pre-school, a registered charity, then launched a fundraising campaign in April and more than £100,000 in grants was secured.

Work began on the fully-insulated steel frame building in October and it was completed in seven weeks just before Christmas.

Councillor Maggie Filipova-Rivers, a member of South Oxfordshire District Council who helped the school’s successful bid for government grant, cut the ribbon.

Tim Suiter, who chairs the parent-led committee, said: “Thank you to everyone. It really has been a fantastic community effort and I, for one, am very proud of what we achieved and so happy to have been part of it.

“We were really fortunate to have some key volunteers come and join us to help us get a plan together. Without the money and the people to help us, we would have had to close the pre-school this winter. It really was a case of saving our pre-school.”

The building was designed by architects at offPOD, which is based in Burton-on-Trent. It is equipped with an outside play deck area, a kitchen-office space, accessible toilets and underfloor heating.

To reduce reliance on traditional heating methods, ultimately lowering the pre-school’s carbon footprint and operational costs, it is also equipped with an air-source heat pump and energy-efficient lighting.

Christopher Willis, an account manager at offPOD, said it was the company’s biggest school project yet.

He said: “It’s awesome to come to see all the kids settling in and the difference it makes to the community is great. It will be here for generations to come.

“Construction is so hit and miss and there are so many variables that come into play, so we were under a bit of pressure for it to be done by the end of the year but we did it.”

Children had a chance to try out the new facilities while coffee was provided to the adults by Zoe Quiney and David Price, who work at Tolhurst Organic based at the Hardwick Estate.

Over the last 13 years, the pre-school had reserves of more than £120,000 but it was thought to be more cost effective not to spend that money on extending the life of the old building.

After the decision was taken to build a new one, the committee was able to secure grants, including £75,000 from the Rural England Prosperity Fund and £3,000 from Whitchurch Parish Council.

Community fundraisers held events which included bake sales and ice cream sales and a bingo night.

Kathleen Barrow, manager of the pre-school, said: “It’s nice to have the outside space, a heated floor and windows. I can’t believe how quickly everyone worked together. It’s a good community.”

Cllr Filipova-Rivers said: “We would like to thank everybody who has been involved. The time frames were incredibly tight. We could only spend the money after April last year, so they had a year to do everything. They didn’t actually get the money until September time. The team has done phenomenally well to get it all together and finished.

“Whether it’s supporting pre-schools or housing projects, it’s really nice to see things work that people can see. I love projects like this where everyone has a part to play and it’s a real part of the community to save an important community asset.”

Andrew Galea, 42, who worked alongside his wife Becky on the committee, said: “I remember when the call came in that the roof was falling down. We were doing a building project as well, so we sent our builder down to take a look.

“What they have done in such a short space of time is amazing, it’s been really impressive. It’s been a real community effort and what they have produced is amazing.

“They have set the pre-school up again and they don’t have to worry about it anymore for the next 20 or 30 years.”