Students at St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary in Langho are set for an exciting return to the new academic year this week as their school has undergone an impressive £1.7 million transformation during lockdown.
Those returning to their studies at the school for the first time since lockdown will be able to enjoy brand new facilities and even more space after specialist works have been completed to create new classrooms and expand existing buildings.
Carrying out the improvements on behalf of Lancashire County Council, the £1.7 million scheme also saw utilities company ENGIE complete refurbishment works to the existing school building.
The work – which was completed just before lockdown in March – comprised a playground extension, the construction of a multi-use games area, and the creation of a modular building for early years education, as well as the main school building also being extended to create a bigger hall and office and administration areas.
A complete rewiring, updating of the fire alarm system and data network, and constructing accessible toilets was also carried out, along with work to re-lay the car park – which included the addition of better drainage and the installation of a system which separates car oil from surface water – to help reduce pollution running into the neighbouring stream.
ADVERTISEMENT
ENGIE / St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary
ENGIE’s community engagement team also worked with pupils while works were on-going to bury a time capsule at the school, and a health and safety poster competition was also organised, with seven of the winning works now displayed on the boundary fencing.
The site team also donated a mobile water butt to the local Langho in Bloom group.
ADVERTISEMENT
Alyson Seddon – Head of Education and Public Buildings at ENGIE – said: “All these works will ensure St Mary’s – a key community primary school – will have the facilities fit for the next generation of pupils who will be able to learn in new classrooms and enjoy playing in the multi-use games area.
“The works will also benefit staff who can teach pupils in modern facilities,”.
News
Family pay tribute to father-of-two killed in Rochdale plane crash
Daisy Jackson
The family of a man killed in a light aircraft crash in Rochdale have paid tribute to a ‘deeply loving father and devoted husband’.
36-year-old Arian Abbasi was one of two men killed when an aircraft crashed into farmland in Littleborough in Rochdale last week, after travelling from Birmingham.
Emergency services rushed to the scene shortly after 11am on Tuesday 3 February, but sadly pronounced both men dead at the scene.
It’s believed there was no one else on board the aircraft, and there were no reported injuries on the ground.
Now, Arian’s family have issued a moving tribute to him. He was a pilot from Harrow in Greater London.
They described him as being a ‘deeply loving’ family man, whose passion was flying.
He was about to embark on a new chapter with a commercial airline in just a few weeks’ time.
His family said: “He lived his life for his family and friends, giving them his constant love, strength, and support.
“Flying was his passion, and he was on the brink of beginning an exciting new chapter with a commercial airline on 23 February; a dream he had worked toward with immense pride and determination.”
GMP investigations are now focused on finding part of the parachute system which contains propellant and hasn’t yet been located.
Finding the device has been ‘very difficult’ due to the nature of the terrain and the wide area over which it may have travelled.
It measures approximately 10 cm in diameter and 30 cm long and has a red anodised finish. It weighs less than 2 kg. It may have a silver metal collar attached at one end.
GMP said: “Please do not handle the device if you see it. If discovered, contact the police immediately via 101 or our Live Chat at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 1056 of 03/02/26.”
Homeless children in Greater Manchester will now get free bus travel to and from school
Emily Sergeant
Children who are currently living in temporary housing in Greater Manchester are set to get extra support with school travel.
In a move that was announced by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) at the end of last week, and following years of campaigning, homeless children living in temporary accommodation are now set to get free school travel on all Bee Network buses.
TfGM says it understands that some children end up a long way from their school when placed into temporary accommodation, and this leaves parents or carers with the difficult choice of either having to move them to a closer school, which ultimately disrupts their education, or having to pay unexpected travel costs.
While the Greater Manchester Strategy – which is the plan for the city region’s next decade – commits to reducing the number of families and children in temporary accommodation, and measures are also being taken to make sure residents have the support they need to ‘access, improve, and retain’ a decent, affordable home, this doesn’t tackle the immediate issue.
Homeless children in Greater Manchester will now get free school bus travel / Credit: TfGM
So, to help those families when they ‘need it most’, free bus travel to and from school is set to be provided, as subject to approval of this year’s Combined Authority budget.
The move comes after Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham asked TfGM last year to look at options to help with the cost of travel.
“Using our locally-controlled Bee Network buses to support families when they need it most is the right thing to do,” Andy Burnham commented.
Of course, the long-term solution is no kids in TA and we’re working with our councils to achieve this in the next few years.
We can do it because GM will soon hit the point where we are building more council and social homes every year than we’re losing through right-to-buy. 👍🏻
“A move into temporary accommodation is often a massive upheaval for families and can be a worrying time. With this measure, the cost of travel to school will be one less thing for families to worry about.
“It will mean parents and carers don’t have to choose between an extra demand on their household budget and keeping their children with friends and teachers they know and trust.”
Emily Sergeant -
31st August 2020 
