Lottery cash boost for school facelift

10:00am Friday 2nd February 2007

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PUPILS will get the chance to give their school a face lift after cleaning up at the National Lotteries Board.

Smithills School has been given £5,000 from the All Big Lottery Fund to establish a regeneration project to improve the grounds.

A task force of pupils, aged between 11 and 16, has been set up to highlight areas in need of work.

A visit to an environmental exhibition at Manchester's Urbis Museum, turned the pupils on to thinking about their environment.

Now, after their bid for funding was successful, pupils have to decide how best to spend it.

Discussions will be held between the students to identify areas in the school that would benefit from a facelift.

Ann Butler, the school's finance officer, who submitted the bid, said: "The grounds are well used by the local community.

"They have use of the leisure centre, which is run by the school, and there is a bandstand, which is often a focal point for outdoor community events.

"The idea of improving the grounds for the benefit of the school and the community came from the children who attended the Urbis Museum."

Head teacher Ken Howell is also looking forward to seeing how his pupils cope with the responsibility.

He said: "The school is delighted to be successful in gaining this award, which will enable the pupils to make decisions for themselves on how the money will be spent and which areas of the school should be improved."