By Richard Burdge

A SYMBOLIC “key handover” in Blairgowrie yesterday marked the completion of the first of six new community campuses being built for Perth and Kinross Council.

At the ceremony council leader Councillor Ian Miller and chief executive Bernadette Malone welcomed the milestone project which has been developed through the council’s £136 million Investment in Learning Programme.

Blairgowrie Community Campus will be shared by Newhill Primary School and Nursery and St Stephen’s RC Primary School.

The campus will provide a modern learning and teaching environment for pupils and staff when they begin the new school year in August and high-quality provision for community use outside school hours for leisure, sports, cultural and community activities.

Community facilities on site include music and drama rooms, meeting rooms, sports/assembly hall, family learning centre, football pitch, amphitheatre and a multi-use games area with changing rooms.

The campus will be operation- al Monday to Friday between 7am and 10pm and between 8am and 5pm at weekends.

Perth and Kinross Leisure will manage the sports facilities and deliver community sports and recreation programmes outside school hours.

Local residents and organisations will be the first to visit the campus and use the new facilities during the course of this week.

Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Council will be the first organisation to hold a meeting at the campus today and on Friday public tours of the facilities will take place every half hour between 3pm and 5.30pm.

Mr Miller said, “Today’s key handover marks the start of a new era in Perth and Kinross for our children, young people and our communities.

“The council has made a clear commitment to enhancing and improving education and community facilities across Perth and Kinross and the Investment in Learning Programme is a very significant part of that.

“I am delighted that today here at Blairgowrie we can mark the start of an exciting period as the six new community campuses begin to open over the next two years.

“The doors will be open this week to local residents,” he added, “and I would encourage them to come along and find out what fantastic facilities we have here that will be available for their use.”

Bernadette Malone said, “I would like to thank everyone involved from the council and from our partners Axiom Education for their effort and commitment to the Investment in Learning Programme, the biggest project undertaken to date by this council.

“I am very pleased to see how all the hard work has led to such impressive results.”