The children of Holywood Primary School have unveiled a new playground which they helped design, plan and transform.

The celebration marking the official opening of the brand new grounds, funded by the Ulster Bank-sponsored ‘Supergrounds’ programme, was also attended by MP for North Down, Lady Sylvia Hermon, who visited the school to see for herself the new outside classroom and garden area that have transformed the grounds.

The playground makeover comes as part of the £6 million Supergrounds programme which aims to improve 900 primary school playgrounds over six years across the UK and Ireland. It was developed by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group to strengthen the ties between the bank and the communities in which it operates.

Holywood Primary School became involved with the scheme through a nomination from Alison McVitty, a human resources manager at Ulster Bank in the town.

She said: “As a parent I know what a difference a playground like this makes to the lives of the children and I’m really proud that the bank, through Ulster Bank Supergrounds, has turned Holywood Primary School’s dream into a reality.”

Mrs Crookshanks, acting principal at the Holywood school, said: “Our new playground is fantastic and it really does create a stimulating area for all the children from primary one to primary seven to use.

“It allows them to develop personal skills and understanding but most of all it is an area for them to enjoy.

“The teachers also appreciate the importance of using resources outside the classroom at every opportunity to support the implementation of the NI Revised Curriculum.”