A former head teacher had the “great privilege” of officially opening a £858,000 refurbished childhood centre in East Ayrshire.
Mary Bunting unveiled a plaque at the new-look Catrine Early Childhood Centre (ECC) during a special ceremony, which saw tots, guests and local dignitaries join together to mark the occasion.
Invited guests toured the facility, which provides 64 early learning and childcare places for children aged three to five years, with space to increase this number in future if required.
Along with a sensory room and laundry room, the centre includes four playrooms and the creation of a mezzanine and storytelling deck.
The play area has also been completely reimagined, with new outdoor learning opportunities and direct outdoor access from two of the playrooms.
Mrs Bunting said: “It was great privilege to officially open the refurbished Catrine Early Childhood Centre.
“It was originally built to accommodate the youngest school age children in Catrine but when Auchinleck Academy was built, along with a new primary, the two school buildings in Catrine were no longer required.
“The larger sandstone building was demolished but this building still stood.
“The first head teacher was Miss Norah Fryer, former head teacher of Hollybush Primary, and I was delighted to follow Miss Fryer by becoming head teacher for so many happy years.
“The corridors of this precious building rang with the noise of young children playing, with very carefully thought out purposes – having fun but learning together.
“Now, as a result of this recent refurbishment, this vital, valuable educational establishment, has everything in place to provide the best experience and planned learning for our precious young children and I was delighted to declare it open for its joyful purpose.”
Councillor Douglas Reid, leader of the council, was joined at the official opening by councillor Maureen McKay, depute provost Claire Leitch, local member councillor Linda Holland, and Linda McAulay-Griffiths, chief education officer and head of schools.
Mr Reid said “there was only one person to ask” to officially open the ECC, adding: “I was really pleased that Mrs Bunting accepted my invitation to perform the official opening by unveiling a plaque.
“Early learning and childcare is a cornerstone for closing the poverty related attainment gap between our most and least advantaged children.
“It is therefore a priority to ensure that our youngest learners have access to high quality and flexible educational opportunities. This is why we have prioritised the roll out of 1140 hours across East Ayrshire.”
Head teacher Judith Govans said the opening was a celebration of “history, community and of course our children, who are at the heart of everything we do.”
She added: “I would like to thank everyone who attended the official opening and made it such a special day and of course, huge thanks go to Mrs Bunting. It was absolutely fitting that she was there to declare the Early Childhood Centre officially open.”
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