George Best Belfast City Airport’s Community Fund has funded a relaxing and quiet outdoor space for Strandtown Primary School, aimed at children that may find a regular playground overwhelming.
Strandtown used the funds to renovate an old courtyard into an interactive learning space, complete with all-weather furniture, games and a wooden tepee for the children to play in.
Designed to help make all children feel comfortable with the outdoors, the space is an area tucked away from the main playground and can also be used to teach lessons when the weather permits.
The courtyard is available to access throughout most parts of the day and has been utilised by the Eco club, who helped to fill the green space with home grown plants and shrubbery.
Victoria Hutchinson, Acting Principal of Strandtown Primary School, said:
“Without the help of the Belfast City Airport’s Community Fund, the outdoor space would have continued to go unused.
“With budgets as they are, resources can only be allocated for essentials and curriculum-based learning. We depend on the generosity of organisations such as the airport to help ensure that each child’s needs are met.
“Transforming our old courtyard into a learning and relaxing space for pupils, especially those who would otherwise feel uncomfortable in the playground with large crowds and noise, will have a positive impact on our school community.”
Laura Duggan, Environmental Manager at Belfast City Airport, visited the pupils at school to see how the funds had been used. She said:
“It was great to visit the school and see the incredible enjoyment the children got from the outdoor classroom. Watching them interact in this setting shows just how beneficial the Community Fund can be for schools in the area.
“Improving education standards in our local area is important to the airport and we are keen to engage with our community to identify projects that will benefit from extra resources.”
Belfast City Airport was awarded Business in the Community’s NI Responsible Company of the Year in 2017 and was also the first airport in the UK to receive the organisation’s highly regarded Gold CORE Standard for its outstanding contribution to Corporate Responsibility.
For more information on the Community Fund or to find out how your group can apply for funding, please visit: www.belfastcityairport.com/community
George Best Belfast City Airport can also be found on Facebook (George Best Belfast City Airport) and Twitter (@BelfastCity_Air).