It was back in March this year that during an Eco Committee meeting, one of the children said it would be better to have more bikes outside at playtime. Having recently helped the school fill in some potholes on the drive, we contacted Jon Cole from Infrastructure Managers based near our school, with an idea to help us put some spare hardcore on an increasingly muddy and underused part of the playground.
Jon, along with Mark Simpson from Tarmac, came to school and suggested that they would be able to support us and leave it with them to look at some options. What they came back to us with creating blew us away, to the point that it was hard to even visualize what could be achieved in this space an d with no cost to the school.
During the summer holidays, a team of contractors, all organised by Mark and Jon, came together to create what is something that will be used by the children for years to come and we could have only dreamed of being able to fund or create ourselves.
Tarmac supplied all the materials and personnel to build the project and our thanks goes to all of these people involved: Richard Hewick, Steve Blades, Cliff Blades, Michael Riley, Nathan Faith and Edward Green. Jason Clarke, for organising the plant and machinery and Mark Brown, for supervising and assisting. Tarmac also enlisted the support of other trades to make it the complete finished resource that we have. Those people are Dan Lazenby (DTMS), Supply and lay turf. Neil Saville (Tarmac Yorkshire Pave Whitwood), Supply Asphalt & delivery. Pamela Campbell & Lewis McGeoch (Tarmac Birtley), Asphalt sales and planning. Dean Firm (Yunex), Supply of handmade benches. Scott (Avoin Maa), GPR Survey. Mark Garrad (Jointline), Road markings.
The children have had to wait patiently for the turf to root but this week, the time came to let them ride and scoot on our track. On Tuesday, Jon and Mark came along and our children were released onto the track for what will be many hours of active play.
The reaction of the children this week has been one of pure excitement. There have been constant queues this week. Not for any road works or accidents but in the queues of children wanting to have a go.
We hope that as we give the children this opportunity at an early age, we as a school can continue to promote an active and healthy lifestyle to the children. The school and Eco committee will continue to investigate ways to promote cycling with the children throughout the school by finding ways that will encourage more children and parents to ride and stride to school.
