Dedicated parent group lend hand to help refurbish Sheffield primary school

Students at Carfield Primary School, in Meersbrook, are celebrating following the official opening of their brand new indoor woodland library which coincided with World Book Day on Thursday, March 5.

The library, which was once an underused storage room, has been revamped with the help of the parent-teacher association, Carfield Friends, who have not only dedicated their time to raise funds but also completed much of the work themselves to provide a welcoming space for the schoolchildren to read.

Now featuring silver birch trees and a campfire, it cost around £8,000 to refurbish – £2,000 donated by the school, a further £2,465 raised by committee member Stuart Hutchinson following a sponsored rock climbing challenge, and the rest raised through various bake sales and other events.

Speaking of the official opening Mr Hutchinson, who also designed the library, said: “In the morning we had a social opening and ribbon cutting with a couple of the PTA members, the Lord Mayor of Sheffield Tony Downing. the school council, and children from every year group. It was the first time the students have seen the library fully completed, apart from peeking through the door.

“After school, we then had an opening event for parents and children and held craft workshops. It was great for them to just be able to look around and get a book off the shelf. It has been fantastic and I think the school are now looking forward to trying to fit the library into the curriculum.”

Alongside the library refurbishment, Carfield Friends have also helped breathe a new lease of life into the school’s two dining rooms.

Used to house the 600 plus Carfield Primary students during busy lunch breaks, they were uninviting, had paint peeling from the walls, and were also noisy so work has been carried out to install soundproofing panels following fundraising efforts by Carfield Friends.

Committee member Kate Souper said: “The dining rooms were once storage rooms, they were cramped and were so noisy – average decibels of 88 which is equivalent to a motorbike or food mixer – that they were very uncomfortable to be in and some pupils couldn't eat in them, even with ear defenders.

“We decided on a Mondrian design as it was the colours of the school [red and blue] and the children study it in lessons. We've installed around 100 sound absorption panels suspended from the ceiling and 12 wall panels, the students are much more comfortable now with a big reduction in the noise levels.”

Group painting sessions also took place at weekends to help complete the work, which in total cost just over £3,000.

“It’s now just a nice, bright, colourful, space, to be in,” Kate added. “Lunchtime is such an important part of the day, alongside learning in the classrooms, as it gives the children a chance to be with their friends, to learn to socialise, and it has just made a massive difference for everyone.”

Carfield Friends gave their thanks to the volunteers who helped throughout both projects.