When one of Harrogate’s oldest schools needed a bit of TLC, Crown Paints and the local Crown Decorating Centre were happy to help by donating paint products for the refurbishment of the main reception area.

The Victorian building which is the home of Grove Road Community Primary School dates back to 1897 and was designed and built by Samson Fox, one of Harrogate’s most famous residents and former mayors.

In more recent years, the school became the first in the town to be recognised as a School of Sanctuary and prides itself on creating a warm and welcoming safe space for all.

Unfortunately, the interior decoration of the main reception area had become tired and worn and with school budgets being limited, Crown was happy to step in and help with the redecoration.

The local Crown Decorating Centre in Harrogate was not only able to donate the necessary paint products but were also on hand to help the school devise the perfect palette for their needs.

To keep the newly painted reception area looking clean and brighter for longer, Crown Trade’s Clean Extreme Ultimate Opacity Scrubbable Matt was used for the ceilings and broad wall areas, with Crown Trade’s Acrylic Eggshell applied to the skirting boards, door frames and woodwork.

The new multipurpose PX4 primer was also used to help prepare areas of original painted stonework so that they could be given a fresh new coat of colour.

To reflect the heritage of the building, the school opted for the main walls of reception area to be painted in the classic blue shade of Victorian Eclectic 15 from Crown Trade’s Historic and Classic Collection. The woodwork was painted in the grey shade of Victorian Eclectic 10 to further accentuate the period feature interior woodwork.

Commenting, Garry Frost, site manager at the school said: “We are extremely grateful for the generous donation from Crown and for all the help that we received from the team at the local Decorating Centre.”

Frost continued: “The products themselves were a pleasure to work with and I was particularly impressed with the opacity of the paint. It really has made such a different to the school. It’s been a very difficult year and to be able to complete the work in time for the start of the new term has given everyone a real boost.”