Every little helps as Tesco'steam spruce up playground

The outdoor space at Corstorphine Primary has been improved thanks to staff at the nearby Tesco store.

They contributed skills, manpower and a £300 budget to the effort, which took in the school’s front and back playgrounds, and a nursery activity area.

Parents said there would be a number of changes in the coming year with the construction of a new nursery.

Designs have also been drawn up for an environmentally friendly playground which will maximise use of the small outdoor space currently available to youngsters.

Leaders of the revamp scheme, called Project Play, have raised the funds they need for phase one and, this year, are looking to gather an additional £50,000.

School staff said the Tesco-backed playground clean-up had made a huge difference.

Headteacher Jennifer Ross said: “Corstorphine Primary School are indebted this week to the stalwart efforts of a dedicated team of volunteers from Tesco who have given their playground a much-needed spring spruce up.

“Headed by Tesco community champion Sandra Brown, the volunteers have put their backs into a whole range of large and small projects in the nursery play area and in the main front and back playgrounds.

“Wooden planter boxes, benches and picnic tables have been given a much-needed sand and lick of new paint.”

Ms Ross said much of the work was extremely time-consuming and would have been costly to carry out on a commercial basis.

“The trickiest job of all was sanding and repainting metal railings at both the front and back of the school, an extremely laborious task which the team attacked with gusto,” she said.

“Parents, pupils and staff are delighted with the results of all of this hard work, which has given the playgrounds a bright and sparkling spring feel.”

She added: “The whole school community would like to say a big thank-you and well done to all of the Tesco volunteers for their hard work which has made a big difference to our school and to all of our boys and girls.”

Workers at Tesco Corstorphine said they were happy to support improvement efforts.

Lloyd Ovenstone, store manager, said: “Playing an active role in the local community is really important to Tesco, so we are pleased to be able to bring the spirit of ‘every little helps’ to Corstorphine primary school.”

Corstorphine is one of Edinburgh’s most popular and fastest-growing primaries.

It was among the first to be expanded as part of a construction programme designed to boost space at overcrowded city schools.

A new dining hall, activity areas, a kitchen, two new classroom spaces and a breakfast club room were provided in 2013.