A TWO-year project to construct a new block at Mereworth Community Primary School came to fruition this week when it was officially opened by the Bishop of Rochester.

The Rt Rev Dr Michael Nazir-Ali joined pupils, teachers, parents, and other guests for a special assembly to unveil the £115,000 classroom block.

Head teacher Bob Crump said: "It was a very proud day for us. It was the culmination of a lot of very hard work and effort by an awful lot of people. The children are rightly proud of the new block."

Launched as a Millennium project, fundraising by children, parents, teachers, and sponsorship from local businesses raised £27,000 towards the cost.

The school also secured a £50,000 grant from a special Kent County Council fund, with the remainder coming from the school budget and a loan.

The block contains a classroom on the ground floor, with a staff room above it. The work also included a new corridor linking the old teaching block to the school hall. One special feature is a golden mosaic, which the school commissioned retired architect Ted Lane to create.

It depicts events from the year 2002, including the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations and the World Cup.