Marfleet Primary Head Teacher Rachel Butler-Reid, Business Development Manager Sue Walker and Deputy Head Teacher Antonia Saunders, along with children from the school, look forward to their classroom plans becoming a reality (image courtesy of ABP/David Lee Photography
Hull’s Marfleet Primary School is set to benefit from a number of improvements following a donation of £70, 000 from Associated British Ports (ABP).
The money was given to the school at the beginning of the year after staff at ABP’s four Humber ports spent 2014 fundraising to enable the school to equip a much-needed extra classroom.
Hull City Council recently confirmed that it would build the additional teaching space and that the ABP donation would be used to furnish and equip the room to the highest standard, including interactive whiteboards and cutting-edge computer equipment, books, furniture and consumables such as stationery.
ABP Port Manager Hull and Goole Mark Frith is delighted the ABP donation is being put to good use. He said: “The news that Hull City Council has committed to providing the school with an extra classroom is the news we were waiting to hear and we couldn’t be more pleased.
“It’s gratifying to know that the fundraising undertaken by ABP staff has paid off and that it will benefit the children of the local area for many years to come.”
The new classroom will mean that children will no longer be taught in mixed year groups or cramped conditions as pupil numbers continue to grow.
The school has also recently received a ‘Good’ rating by Ofsted.
Head teacher of Marfleet Primary School, Rachel Butler-Reid said: “When we received the news from the council that the classroom would be built it was wonderful. We strive to provide an excellent education for the children of this area, but the subsequent increase in pupil numbers meant we were struggling for space. We were thrilled when ABP said they’d help us raise the funds needed to build the new classroom.
“The donation has made a huge difference to the school already as we are now able to move forward with our plans to develop and inspire passion for learning in our pupils.”
As well as the new classroom, which the school hopes will be open next September, the school is already benefitting from a new micro-kitchen, again provided by the council, which means pupils can enjoy freshly prepared, nutritious meals at lunchtime and it is also hoping to obtain outdoor furniture for the play area and shelters for parents waiting to pick up their children.
ABP is the UK’s leading ports operator with 21 ports and other transport related businesses creating a unique national network capable of handling a vast array of cargo.
Around one quarter of the UK’s seaborne trade passes through ABP’s Statutory Harbour Areas. ABP contributes £5.6 billion to the UK economy every year and supports 84, 000 jobs. Our current investment programme promises to deliver an extra £1.75 billion for the economy every year.
ABP…
- Handled over 1.6 million vehicles in 2014.
- Generates around one quarter of the UK’s rail freight
- Has 1.4 million square metres of covered storage
- Has 1000 hectares of open storage
- Handled 94.5m tonnes of cargo in 2014
- Owns 5000 hectares of port estate
- Has 87km of quay
Over the next five years, ABP is investing over £650 million in a wide range of major projects across the group.
ABP Humber
The four ports of Grimsby, Immingham, Hull and Goole handle more than 63 million tonnes of cargo between them each year.
Grimsby and Immingham form the UK’s busiest trading gateway and move around 51 million tonnes of cargo per annum.
£130-plus million is currently being invested in the biomass handling terminal in Immingham, in a Humber-wide agreement with Drax Power Ltd that has seen £25 million invested in a biomass handling facility in Hull. The Immingham Renewable Fuels Terminal handles sustainable biomass shipments and will create over 100 permanent jobs once complete. The construction phase created 100 employment opportunities.
The Port of Hull handles 10 million tonnes of cargo per annum and is the is the focal point for the development of the UK’s largest offshore wind turbine manufacturing, construction, assembly, and service facility, which will be located on the Port’s Alexandra Dock. This new facility represents a £310 million investment and will create up to 1000 direct jobs.
The Grimsby River Terminal represents an investment of £26 million and allows large car-carrying ships to berth outside the Port’s lock system. This development confirms the Port’s position as the UK’s leading automotive handling facility.
More than the equivalent of 1million teus (twenty foot equivalent unit) of unitised trade is shipped through ABP Humber ports.
Ro-ro and container traffic represents more than 30 sailings a week to Europe, Scandinavia the Baltic and beyond.
The Humber ports handle more than 70 freight train movements per day.
Goole is situated 50 miles upriver and is the UK’s premier inland port. It handles over one million tonnes of cargo annually.
