Pupils’ road safety campaign leads to £250,000 investment at Fivemiletown school

PUPILS, staff and the wider school community will come together this Friday to celebrate the official opening of a new £250,000 car park facility at St Mary's Primary School in Fivemiletown.

The opening ceremony, which takes place at 9.30am, will mark a significant investment by the Department of Education in improving access and safety at the school.

A number of special guests are expected to attend, including Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP Pat Cullen and Mid Ulster District Council chairperson, Councillor Deirdre Varsani, alongside school staff, parents, pupils and members of the local community.

The project is particularly significant as it was driven in large part by the pupils themselves, who took the initiative to highlight the dangers associated with congested parking and drop-off arrangements around the school gates.

Through a dedicated road safety campaign, the children raised awareness of the difficulties and potential risks facing pupils and families arriving at and leaving the school. Their efforts, supported by staff, parents and the Board of Governors, helped secure the substantial investment which has now transformed the school site.

The newly developed facility provides a safer and more accessible space for the school community, while improvements to the entrance have also created additional access points to support alternative uses of the premises.

The project has also opened up new opportunities for the school's refurbished mobile, which was upgraded with support from the school's Parent, Teacher and Friends Association (PTFA).

With an independent entrance now available, the mobile can be used for a wider range of activities and purposes, extending its potential benefit beyond the immediate school community.

Friday's ceremony will therefore celebrate not only an important improvement to the school's facilities but also the determination of its pupils, whose road safety campaign helped turn their concerns into a lasting investment for the benefit of the whole community.