New ‘modern state-of-the-art sports hall’ opens at Eastbourne school
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The new facility at St Catherine’s College in Priory Road includes a four-court sports hall and will be finished with fitness studios and changing rooms.
In addition to providing the PE department and students with ‘first-class’ facilities, the sports hall will also be used for a wide range of extra-curricular activities such as trampolining, table tennis, netball and basketball.
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Hide AdThe ’stunning’ new venue has been opened by The Lord Bishop of Chichester The Right Reverend Martin Warner and The Bishop of Montego Bay The Right Reverend Leon Paul Golding.
The occasion also commemorated the 75th anniversary of the first arrival of the Empire Windrush in the UK. The Empire Windrush is known for bringing one of the first large groups of post-war Caribbean immigrants to the country.
The Right Reverend Leon Paul Golding is the son of Windrush migrants and talked to 400 pupils about the challenges of growing up in London in the 1950s, according to the school.
St Catherine’s College’s headteacher Nigel Jewell said: “Our students were moved greatly by The Right Reverend Leon Paul Golding’s account of life in London and the horrendous racism that he and his friends and family were routinely subjected to. The poignancy of his words will remain with our school community for many years to come.”
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Hide AdHe added: “It was a very special day for St Catherine’s College, perhaps even a defining moment in the history of the school.
“The school has always had a strong reputation for success on the sports field, despite the limitations of the old facilities, so it’s tempting to imagine what even greater sporting accolades can be achieved by our students in the future!”
The former headteacher said the school had been trying to get a sports hall for 20 years ahead of this development as the site was originally built in 1958 for 500 students, but it now welcomes more than 1,000 pupils.