Trinity Academy’s new sports and outdoor centre in Bangholm, Edinburgh, was awash with pupils, family and staff experiencing their first taste of the new facility as the school celebrated the start of the new year with its annual open day last weekend (Saturday, 27th August).

Pupils and staff, along with their families, took a first look around the new facility at the school, which has helped develop several world-class sporting athletes in recent years and hopefully inspiring many more generations to come.

The school’s new facilities include a four-court sports hall, gym hall, dance studio and fitness suite all designed to the highest environmental standards. It will also feature professional standard playing fields, to be used by a host of local sports teams, including Trinity Academicals Rugby Club and Waverley Inveresk Hockey Club.

Designed in close consultation with the local community by architects, Holmes Miller, the new centre supports Edinburgh City Council’s commitment of creating 20-minute neighbourhoods – giving people the ability to meet most of their daily needs within a 20-minute return walk from home. This concept will see the school open up many of the new facilities to the general public, including a café and community learning space, operated by Edinburgh Leisure and home to the Outdoor Learning Team and Trinity Academicals Rugby Club.

Nick Burge, Head Teacher of Trinity Academy said: “To see the place come alive with pupils, families and staff has been a wonderful experience and a very satisfying conclusion to the first phase of our wider regeneration project. This is very much an investment aimed at the local community as well as our pupils, so the design has been a real joint effort, with collaborative working leading to several new features being included, such as the café and community learning centre.”

Ryan Holmes, Director at Holmes Miller architects, said: “This project placed community involvement at the centre, and the result is a facility that serves the needs of the whole community.  During the process ran in conjunction with Architecture & Design Scotland, feedback helped us to prioritise open, well-designed spaces, and we adjusted designs to make sure this was delivered. With the community at the heart of the design, Trinity Academy’s new sports and outdoor centre is a great example of how buildings can work for people, and significantly improve neighbourhoods.”

John Burns, Associate at Holmes Miller architects, said: “From the beginning, we knew that the local community should benefit from the centre, we just had to listen and be flexible in our design and approach. The end result is a centre that will benefit the school and local community for years to come and support the local council’s 20-minute neighbourhood initiative, which is helping to breathe new life into communities across the capital.”

Trinity Academy’s new sports and outdoor centre is the first of a long-term, two-phase plan to regenerate the school. The next phase will see the school’s original red sandstone Victorian building on Craighall Road refurbished, and the surrounding buildings demolished to make way for new facilities, which are planned to open in 2026.