£10,000 National Highways donation transforms school playground

A £10,000 donation from National Highways’ Community Legacy Fund has helped pave the way for a playground upgrade at a Greater Manchester primary school.

St Anne’s Primary in Denton received the funding to replace its former infant playground which was no longer fit for purpose due to its condition.    

The funding meant the area could be resurfaced and covered with artificial grass to provide a safe outdoor environment for children to enjoy.    

National Highways Programme Delivery Manager Chris Court said:     

“We are so pleased to see the improvements the school has made to its playground and even better seeing the children using it.   

“This is a perfect example of how our Community Legacy Fund can go towards a worthwhile project that will benefit schoolchildren for many years to come.”

Kirsty Rimmer, Headteacher of St Anne’s Primary School, added:  

“The funding from National Highways has improved the provision of outdoor learning for our children, helping them to engage in physical activities every day regardless of the weather.  

“It has been a real improvement for the school community, and we would like to thank National Highways for their contribution.” 

St Anne’s Primary School is located next to St Anne’s Bridge which crosses the M67. The bridge has successfully been replaced following a three-year £23m scheme delivered by National Highways in partnership with Tilbury Douglas.     

The school’s proximity to the bridge means it has been impacted by the works, while those travelling to the school had been unable to use the bridge following its closure in January 2023.   

Pupils from St Anne’s had the honour of officially opening the bridge earlier this year, joining the Reverend Philip Brierley from St Anne’s Church to help cut a ribbon at a special ceremony. He also blessed the bridge during a short service.

The ceremony was a memorable moment for St Anne’s teaching assistant Diane Spensley, who accompanied the pupils.

Diane has a lifelong association with the school stretching back more than 50 years, having attended as a pupil herself before returning to the school where she has worked for the last 27 years. Even her own children have gone to the school.

She said the bridge and motorway are an intrinsic part of school life and remembers the M67 and St Anne’s bridge being built back in the late 1970s. The M67 opened to traffic in 1981.

“You could watch the motorway being built from the grounds of St Anne’s Church,” Diane recalls. “We would do topics about the motorway as children then and still do today.”

When the M67 was completed, Diane joined hundreds of residents to walk its length through Denton as part of a community celebration, which also included a blessing by the then vicar of St Anne’s Church as part of the opening ceremony. 

Throughout the bridge replacement scheme, National Highways and Tilbury Douglas’ teams have worked closely with the school, visiting regularly to provide updates at assemblies, giving lessons about safety and the environment and sponsoring school events.

Diane concluded:

“Having been part of St Anne’s for so many years, it’s special to see the children enjoying their new playground. We’re very grateful to National Highways and Tilbury Douglas for all their support to the school.”

While the new bridge now carries traffic over the motorway once again, the upgraded playground ensures the project has also left a lasting benefit for the children and families at St Anne’s Primary School.