Official Opening of the new Sports Facility at Cockburn School
Last month, we reached final completion on a new all-weather sports facility at Cockburn School in Leeds. With a project value of over £3m and a 26-week construction programme, we came on board as the Principal Contractor working alongside Leeds City Council.
The new pitch (suitable for football and rugby) and triple tennis court/netball court will play a vital role in the outdoor sport provision for Cockburn School. They are located to the south of the school site, on a section of the former private South Leeds Golf Course which closed in November 2019. They had a shortage of outdoor sporting facilities at the school (65% below the required provision) associated with the growth in student numbers over recent years.
We undertook a pre construction services agreement with the School and Council on the feasibility, initial design, and costings to get the scheme to RIBA Stage 4. We later offered a series of value engineering options which saved 10% off the overall price. After a period of market testing, we were selected to commence works on the project deliver this design and build contract.
Our works package included:
- Full drainage system design and install including land drainage around the new pitch, the permeable design underneath the courts/MUGA and a guided auger boring to install outfall pipe through a flow control device
- 19,000m3 cut and 12,000m3 filling exercise to the site area, including retaining structures to cope with levelling such a sloped site
- Incoming services installed from existing school plant room to provide power to safety lighting around the new courts and CCTV functions
- Supplied and installed 10,000m2 3G MUGA pitch with equipment for full size rugby and football and long with 5-7 aside games and full fence enclosure
- Supplied and installed 3x full size tennis courts, including equipment and fence enclosure
- Installation of full hard landscaping package including steps, DDA ramps, tactile paving, and tarmac surfacing
- Supplied and installed soft landscaping to new area including new trees, scrub, and grassed areas
- Replaced trees removed in the initial works with new trees within the old golf course area
- Full site boundary weldmesh fencing 2.4m high including main access gates.
Cockburn School proudly named this new facility in memory of Kyle Asquith, former student of Cockburn School who passed away in 2013. His organs saved the lives of 5 people and since then, The Kyle Asquith Foundation has gone on to raise thousands of pounds for the NHS Blood and Transplant Trust and to support children from Cockburn School to achieve their aspirations. The school continues to raise funds and the awareness of organ donation.
Kyle’s parents, trustees of the charity, presented representatives from the Leeds NHS Blood and Transplant Trust a cheque for £1000 on behalf of the charity before they cut the ribbon to officially open the facility.
Executive Headteacher and trustee of the Kyle Asquith Foundation, David Gurney, said:
“Naming this excellent new sports facility after Kyle will ensure that he continues to be remembered. This excellent new sports facility will help to ensure that all our students continue to learn about being healthy and fit while developing their practical sports skills”.
Leeds Rhinos and Leeds United also played their part, both of whom work with Cockburn School to support the development of rugby and football within the school. The event was attended by Rhinos first team players Sam Lisone and Mickael Goudemond who made time to speak to the students involved and have some group photographs.
The official opening was a brilliant way of bringing together lots of people to acknowledge and appreciate these new sporting facilities.
If you wish to contribute to The Kyle Asquith Foundation, please contact the school at info@cockburnschool.org and title the email ‘Kyle Asquith’. They also have a JustGiving page and you can make donations online at www.justgiving.com/kyle-asquith