A new £40 million education campus has been unveiled in North Ayrshire.

Garnock Community Campus was officially opened by Deputy First Minister John Swinney on Monday, 12 June.

Built by Kier Construction, features of the school, community and leisure campus includes modern educational facilities, a six-lane swimming pool, a number of sports halls and a synthetic pitch suitable for rugby and football.

Mr Swinney said: "I am very impressed by the new Garnock Community Campus and the cutting-edge facilities available to students, staff, parents and the wider community.

"Learning and teaching in such inspirational settings can make a real difference to education outcomes. That is why the Scottish Government is committed to improving Scotland's school estate and is investing £1.8 billion in our Schools for the Future building programme – providing almost £19 million towards this project."

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Cllr John Bell added: "I am delighted that the young people of the Garnock Valley are benefiting from this significant investment in education by the Council.

"It has been quite a journey to reach this stage since our 2009 bid for funding for the school.

"We are hugely ambitious for our children and we want them to attain, achieve and develop the skills necessary to live positive and fulfilling lives. This amazing new campus can help us reach that goal."

Managing director of Kier Construction's Scotland & north-east England business, Brian McQuade, said: "Through hub South West Scotland, we are currently working on five major schools projects in Ayrshire. Garnock is the first of these to complete.

"We worked with local suppliers and SMEs to ensure this project contributed to the local economy.  During the construction of Garnock Community Campus we created 15 apprenticeships and 19 work placements, giving local young people a unique insight into the diverse range of roles available in the construction industry."

(LM/MH)