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VOLUNTEERS from Meadowhall Shopping Centre have helped to give a new lease of life to a disused classroom at a local school.

Phillimore Community Primary School, on Phillimore Road, Darnall has been the subject of a week long makeover that has seen a complete transformation of a  previously neglected room into a comfortable, cosy, environment for use by staff parents, carers and pupils.

As supporters of South Yorkshire Cares - the employee volunteering initiative of Business in the Community (BITC) - Meadowhall is asked each year to complete two projects within the community.  The thinking behind this is that Meadowhall staff can redeploy the skills that they use in their everyday jobs to the benefit of the wider community.

Dianne Wainwright, centre manager at The Source at Meadowhall, was responsible for leading the project, she said:

"Although it has been hard work it has been extremely satisfying to see the new room take shape.  Hopefully we have created somewhere that provides a safe and comfortable environment for everyone involved with Phillimore School."

Six members of staff from the shopping centre have used their skills to, amongst other things, repaint and re-carpet the room as well as repair a broken window, ceilings and doors. They have put up shelving, new lighting, window blinds and mirrors, built and upholstered a window seat, not to mention the initial clearing out of the room that had to be done.



Sam Frith at Phillimore School said:

"We're delighted with our new room, and extremely grateful to Meadowhall staff for all their hard work.  It's great to see  the space completely transformed and give the school the opportunity to put the room to good use. We now have somewhere welcoming that we can go when we need to spend quiet time with parents, carers or pupils."