Work has begun on a new Rebound Therapy Building for children with special educational needs at Brooklands School in Skipton.

GMI Construction Group has joined forces with McLaren Group and Robertson, which are all offering their services free of charge as part of the Yorkshire Children’s Charity initiative Great Yorkshire Build.

The Rebound Therapy Building features trampolines that will provide the school’s more than 80 pupils with valuable therapeutic exercise to promote strength and coordination as well as developing communication skills and alleviating anxiety.

Construction is already underway, with Robertson carrying out the demolition and foundation work before GMI creates the building’s envelope, roof and internal fit out. Robertson, which has close ties to McLaren Group, will add the finishing touches to the external development, which is expected to be completed in February 2023.

GMI was the first construction company to volunteer for the charity’s Great Yorkshire Build initiative, which involves several businesses within the sector donating their time, skills and cost of materials.

The Great Yorkshire Build has been designed to improve outdated, insufficient and inadequate facilities at many of the region’s Specialist Inclusive Learning Centres (SILC) and SEND schools.

Lee Powell, Chief Executive Officer at GMI Construction Group, said: “We take pride in leaving a legacy on each of our builds, and this is a fine example of that.

“We are thrilled to be involved with the project, which will benefit many vulnerable children in North Yorkshire, and we are really looking forward to making a difference.

“The building also has sustainability in mind, with sub-contractors Gallant Building Services installing Photovoltaic (PV) materials and devices to allow sunlight to be converted into electrical energy within the therapy construction.

“We are much bigger as a sum of all our parts than just GMI going alone, and it is important that we collaborate on projects such as this.”

Fran Cracknell, Headteacher at Brooklands School, said: “I am so thrilled and grateful that we have been given this opportunity, and this build will make such a difference to the lives of our special pupils, their families and the staff that work extremely hard.

“I am really grateful to the property and construction sector for listening to us and I want to say a massive thank you to everyone involved.”

The news of GMI’s involvement with the project comes hot on the heels of the company joining forces with the BBC’s DIY SOS: The Big Build to help with the development of the new headquarters for ‘Getaway Girls’ which featured on Wednesday’s Children in Need special.