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Independent School wins Yorkshire Bank backing

2nd January 2008

 

VITAL funding to create new £8.5m premises for a South Yorkshire independent school has been secured from Yorkshire Bank.

 

 

Work has started on a the multi-million pound campus for Hill House St Mary's at the former RAF Officers Mess in Finningley, backed by Yorkshire Bank's Doncaster Financial Solutions Centre (FSC).

 

Hill House St Mary's, founded in Doncaster in 1912, and Yorkshire Bank, have jointly appointed Doncaster-based building surveyors and architects, the LHL Group, to be employers' agent and monitoring surveyor for the new premises at Robin Hood Business Park. The development is thought to be the only entirely new site under construction for a UK independent school.

 

The school, which has 400 pupils from nursery level to aged 16 has an impressive alumni which includes Top Gear presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, Government minister, Rosie Winterton and Vicar of Dibley actress, Emma Chambers.

The former RAF buildings undergoing refurbishment are locally renowned for their links with Second World War Vulcan bomber crews. The refurbishment will preserve original features including ornate plasterwork, wooden flooring, original windows and wooden paneling.

 

The new premises, for which LHL Group has appointed Scunthorpe-based construction business RJ Cadman, will include classrooms, laboratories (?)  car parking and a one-way traffic system with drop-off points for parents. A nearby sports complex, which will be open to the community, is also being developed and will include a sports hall with badminton courts, a swimming pool, astro turf pitch, tennis courts and a full-size rugby and football pitch. The school plans to move onto the eight-acre site next summer.

 

As employers' agent and CDM coordinator, LHL Group, which specializes in refurbishments and managing building contracts, will oversee the entire development for Hill House St Mary's and ensure that it meets the school's requirements. LHL Group's appointment as monitoring surveyor for Yorkshire Bank will ensure that funding is contractually-protected.

 

Roger Gardener, business partner at Yorkshire Bank's Doncaster FSC, adds: "Hill House St Mary's is a vital part of the community in Doncaster and we are pleased to be supporting its development as it prepares itself for the next generation of students."

 

Hill House St Mary's principal, Jack Cusworth, says: "This is a major undertaking for our school and for South Yorkshire. We are delighted to have business partners in Yorkshire Bank and LHL Group to ensure that we achieve the best possible premises so we can continue to deliver the highest standards of education to the local community for years to come."

 

LHL Group managing director, Ken Hawley, says: "We are proud to be involved with the relocation of such an old and well-respected school and wish it another 100 years of success."

 

For Further Information:

Stuart Neill   
Yorkshire Bank
Tel. 0845 60 35 44 77 or 07767 788 765

Natasha Lobley
The BIG Partnership
Tel. 0141 333 9585 

NOTES TO EDITORS

 

Yorkshire and Clydesdale Banks are both part of the National Australia Group.

 

Yorkshire Bank
Yorkshire Bank was founded in 1859 in Halifax, West Yorkshire.  Today, the Bank has more than 190 Yorkshire Bank branches, a strong personal customer base and a growing business capability in the North of England and the Midlands.


Yorkshire Bank is a trading name of Clydesdale Bank plc, which is a subsidiary of the National Australia Bank Group of companies. Yorkshire Bank joined the Group in 1990.
*In 2006, Yorkshire Bank was voted the UK's 'Best Business Bank' by the Forum of Private Business.

 

Financial Solutions Centres
Yorkshire Bank Financial Solutions Centres (FSC) offer Members a tailored range of business and private banking services under one roof. A team of specialist partners, each with considerable local experience, work together to provide Members with end to end solutions for their business and private banking needs. In addition to banking services, the FSCs also operate as a hub for local business, with a range of networking opportunities and meeting facilities available as a benefit of membership.


Over 70 FSCs are located around the UK and in 2006 represented over half of the National Australia Bank Group's UK income.

 

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