New Community Rooms to benefit Alkrington residents

The Mayor of Rochdale officially opening the community rooms

Alkrington Community Rooms have been fully refurbished and officially opened by the Mayor of Rochdale Councillor Zulfiqar Ali.

The scheme is the first to be completed as part of the Impact Partnership’s ‘employee nominated’ Community Projects scheme. The £15,000 project has been managed and delivered free of charge, and transformed disused school rooms at Alkrington Primary School into a space that will benefit the local community.

Mayor Ali said: “This project would not have been possible without partnership working; it is magnificent to see that Impact Partnership has brought local businesses together to create Alkrington Community Rooms, for the benefit of the local community”.

Due to a reduction in pupil numbers at the school, the former classrooms had become empty. The school Governors wanted the rooms to be refurbished, with private access, kitchen and disabled access toilets, to provide existing community groups with better facilities.

The local mums and tots group are already signed up and using the new facilities and it is hoped that further groups will make use of the self-contained facilities, especially to provide evening classes and summer holiday play schemes for the local community.

Head Teacher, Tim Barnes, said: “I am delighted that Impact Partnership nominated our scheme and have project managed it from start to completion. It has been fantastic to see the work progress and exceptional to hear that local contractors H Bell & Sons, Jackson & Jackson’s, WH Good, CM Vines Plumbing, F Brierley Painters and Winton Flooring have all provided their services free of charge.”

Impact staff also volunteered to ‘bring a brush’ painting the corridors to ensure the entire facility was freshened up before the opening.

Mike Crompton, Impact’s Property Services Director, said “Working with our contractors we were able to design the refurbishment, arrange planning applications, ensure health and safety compliances and project manage the entire works, to provide a facility fit for the community to use. We were proud that staff nominated this project and hope that we can work with other community groups in future to provide other projects throughout the Rochdale borough.

“Of course this scheme would not have been possible without the charitable help of our contractors, for which we are grateful. They have all worked together to provide these high standard facilities whilst causing minimum disruption to the school.”

The new facilities have meant that the old, dilapidated temporary buildings..., has been demolished to make way for further outdoor playing space for the school. Sue Mannion, School Business Manager said: “The new larger rooms will make such a difference to community groups, and as it is self-contained we can now invite groups to use the facilities, out of school hours. The rooms offer a safe and clean environment and should be more appealing to everyone within the community.”