School playground given an upgrade

Oct 2 2008 by George Topp, Lanark & Carluke

IT was all smiles in Crossford as pupils of Underbank Primary School joined teachers, parents, friends and Royal Bank of Scotland staff to unveil their brand new playground.

The celebration to officially open the new courtyard garden marked the completion of a £4,000 project funded by RBS Supergrounds.

This is a £6 million, six-year community investment initiative launched by The Royal Bank of Scotland Group in September 2004 to improve school grounds.

It has already benefited over 450 schools and 120,000 children across the UK.

RBS Supergrounds has been developed to strengthen the ties between company staff and their communities with staff nominating schools they have a connection with.

Underbank Primary School became involved with the scheme through The Royal Bank of Scotland’s Jean Currie, who is a parent helper at the school.

Jean said: “I know what a difference a great playground can make to the lives of the children and I’m really proud that the bank, through RBS Supergrounds, have turned Underbank school’s dream into a reality.”

Leslie Dunbar, head teacher at Underbank, added: “The children are really looking forward to getting out and experiencing their new playground. The improvements funded by RBS Supergrounds will allow the children to learn while they play. We are extremely grateful to Jean Currie for the support and commitment shown to the school from the start to finish of this project.”

BANKING ON NEW PLAYGROUND: RBS staff member Jean Currie and Underbank Primary School head teacher Lesley Dunbar are pictured with some of the youngsters who cannot wait to try out the new playground.