Students at a primary school returned from their summer holiday to find their dull, concrete playground had been given a colourful makeover.

Staff from the Business Community Partnership (BCP) transformed the play area at Coldean Primary School in Selham Drive, Brighton, as part of a Cares challenge.

Cares is a national programme, run locally by BCP, which organises teambuilding events for businesses that want to get involved in their communities.

In Brighton and Hove there are 20 companies signed up to the scheme including The Argus, Amex, Legal and General, EdF Energy and 4Delivery.

They regularly participate in community challenges, not only to give something back to their community but as a strategic staff development opportunity.

On this occasion it was the staff from the BCP itself who took on the challenge.

Coldean Primary School has 300 pupils, aged seven to 11. Headteacher Margaret Burdsey said: "These days we do not have sufficient budgets to deliver all the creative visions our students and teachers have for the school.

"The support we have received from BCP and the businesses that donated the materials is overwhelming and so valuable, we could never have achieved this task on our own. We didn't realise just how much of a transformation would take place, I am absolutely delighted - the children love it."

Pupils were asked to help with the design and produced drawings to guide the volunteers on what they would like their playground to look like.

A "mood wall" full of expressive faces greets the children on arrival and all the entrances to the playground are highlighted with different shapes which lead into a bright rainbow. A nautical theme lines another wall and a spectacular galaxy scene can be seen from the main Coldean Road.

C h a r l i e A l l s e b r o o k , BCP Cares Coordinator said: "We organise hundreds of these types of events every year for our members but we felt that as co-ordinators of Cares that it was important for us to practise what we preach.

"We can now give better advice on future challenges having had the experience ourselves. It's hard work but we had lots of fun and it was so rewarding."

  • BCP and Coldean Primary School would like to thank Brewers and Travis Perkins for the donations of paint and materials for the challenge.