Furniture firm wins its biggest contract in schools sector

The £3 million contract has been won by Deanestor for the manufacture and supply of furniture, fittings and equipment at the new £55 million Inverurie Community Campus in Aberdeenshire.

Inverurie, which will house 1,600 pupils, is one of the biggest schools construction projects in Scotland, and the contract is Deanestor’s third for principal contractors, Robertson Construction.

William Tonkinson, managing director of the Mansfield firm, said: “We are delighted to be working on such an exciting and much-needed community scheme.

“The scale of the campus and the range of facilities we are fitting out demonstrates our capabilities and expertise in furniture manufacturing and project management.

“Our designers are working closely with the design and construction team to deliver a really inspirational and innovative environment for learning and teaching.”

Deanestor, which is based at the Crown Farm Business Park in Forest Town, is part of a family-owned group of companies that employs 250 people.

At Inverurie, it will furnish and fit out 360 rooms across the campus in just 26 weeks. These rooms will include the departments for science, food and design technology, plus general teaching spaces, sports and changing areas, reception, library and offices.

The layouts will be modern and the colours bright. The project will include 1,950 metres of shelving, 670 metres of laminate and laboratory worktops, more than 80 teaching walls, 400 storage units and more than 500 items of metalwork.

Deanestor is also supplying and installing about 6,000 other items, including tables, chairs, locker units, seating, teaching aids, sports equipment, fitness machines, mirrors, sinks and even a water bed.

Iain Loud, senior design manager at Robertson Construction, said: “Deanestor met all our requirements for quality, cost, experience and strong financial stability.”