Pupils, parents, staff and councillors gathered to celebrate the official opening of the new Riverbank Community Hub on Wednesday 13 March.
The hub opened its doors to pupils in August last year and to mark the official opening pupils from the nursery, Trumpet Club and Glee Club entertained the audience with fine music and dance performances.
School captains Cody, Ella and Zara spoke positively about their experiences, saying: “We feel we’ve been at the heart of the new school as we were involved in coming up with the name Riverbank and in the design of the crest and uniform.
“The school is so wonderful and we’ve made so many new friends. It feels like there’s always been a Riverbank.”
Pupils expressed their delight at the new building and how much they are enjoying the range of indoor and outdoor facilities, including not one, but two chutes!
Provost Kenneth Duffy declared the new community hub officially open by unveiling a plaque along with help from the school captains.
He said: “I wish everyone associated with the new Riverbank community hub every success in their wonderful new home.
“It’s a fantastic facility, which has already brought the community together and I’m sure it will inspire generations of pupils in the years ahead.”
Helen Paterson, Head Teacher of Riverbank Primary School and Nursery, said: “I’ll never forget the gasps of joy as pupils entered the school for the first time.
“Children, staff and parents were involved in the design programme from the outset together with the architects and design team, which has meant we felt very much part of the project – it felt like it was ours.
“I’d like to thank everyone involved in this project and the wider community of Carnbroe and Sikeside for everything they have done to make this project such a resounding success.
“Our school motto is ‘many hearts make a journey’, and we are certainly embarking on an exciting journey together in our new home."
The new Riverbank Community Hub features bright, welcoming multi-use flexible teaching areas, an 11-a-side outdoor sports pitch and extensive outdoor play areas.
Kevin Cooper of Norr Architecture who designed the building, said: “A new project such as this is about creating joy and I hope people enjoy using it as much as we enjoyed making it.”
Michael Ross, Chief Executive of hub South West Scotland, said: “It was a pleasure to deliver this wonderful community hub for North Lanarkshire Council with our construction partner Morgan Sindall and we thank our wider delivery partners for their support. It is fantastic to celebrate the delivery of this first-class facility which will have an incredible impact on pupils, their families and wider communities.
“To date we have delivered over £200 million of projects for North Lanarkshire Council, tendered with social value and community wealth building, front and centre. This remains a priority for our organisation and we’re looking forward to working closely with our partners to deliver more crucial infrastructure projects.”