School's on the move

By James Shepherd on Oct 17, 08 10:30 AM in Chester City

CHESTER'S last city centre school is on the move. St Mary's Nursery School, on St Mary's Hill, will up sticks in December and move from its site within the city walls to a new site in Handbridge.

Past pupils, parents, staff and friends are invited to celebrate the school's history on Thursday, October 23, from 4-7pm at the St Mary's Hill site.

Headteacher Ken Jones said: "We look forward to celebrating the part this building has played in our community and then 162 years of history will be packed into our bags and moved across the river."

From January the nursery school will be rehoused on the site of Overleigh St Mary's CE Primary School in Old Wrexham Road.

The school was established in 1846 to provide religious education for the poor of the large inner city parish of St Mary's. A reorganisation of city schools in 1972 meant St Mary's became a nursery school and it has provided pre-school education for three and four-year-olds across the city since then.

It has an active PTA group, called the Friends of St Mary's Nursery School, which regularly raises money for extra curricular activities including school trips, equipment and the annual Fair Day in May.

In 2002, the group organised a "street" party for parents to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

The celebration will include an exhibition of the history of the school and organisers are keen to hear from anyone with any photographs or memories.

Alternatively visitors on the day will be able to add their memories to a memory book.

There will be light refreshments, provided by the Friends of St Mary's, and at 6pm, there will be speeches, a cake and a toast to mark the past and look forward to the future of this school.

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