Pupils celebrate new school building

Newbury MP Richard Benyon officially opened a new £170,000 building at Streatley Hill Pre-school on Friday

DELIGHTED pupils at a pre-school in Streatley are celebrating after their new school building has opened following two years of community fund-raising.

Streatley Hill Pre-school, The Coombe, unveiled the £170,000 building on Friday (23), in a special ceremony.

The MP for Newbury Richard Benyon cut the ribbon as children, parents and local fundraisers celebrated the transformation of the site from two dilapidated temporary cabins to a modern eco-friendly build.

Pre-school parent volunteers took on a myriad of sponsored events and challenges such as parents entering the Reading Half Marathon, a ‘Toddler Toddle' run, a barbecue at Goring and Streatley's Hairy Legs biathlon, an antiques day, and several discos.

Grants from organisations including West Berkshire Council, Sure Start, the Englefield Charitable Trust, and the Goring Gap Local Deserving Causes Fund, also contributed, along with donations from 30 local businesses, 130 ‘Buy a Brick' donors, and over 25 individual donations.

The group was also able to draw on its building reserves fund, built up over years of fundraising by the parents of children who have since left the pre-school.

After the opening ceremony visitors took the opportunity to explore the new building designed by architects Bryden Wood Associates, which replaced the two second-hand portakabins that had housed the pre-school for over 20 years.

West Berkshire Council's ward member for Basildon, Streatley and Aldworth, Alan Law (Con) said: “I and my colleagues in the education department at West Berkshire Council have been particularly impressed with the professionalism and commitment shown by everyone involved in making this project happen.

“It has been a long process, but their dogged determination to create a better built environment for current and future children who will attend the pre-school has been outstanding. Along with West Berkshire Council it has been a personal privilege and a delight to support this project and its dedicated team.“