Pupils and staff joined members of the Middlesex committee and guests to welcome their Honorary President Lawrence Dallaglio to open the playground facility for the physically handicapped children. 
 
The £20,000 facility comes complete with a red pirate ship, a Botely bridge and stepping stones – a playground that is for learning and fun. The facility is located in the centre of the playground and is called Spoon Island, although the children affectionately refer to it as Spoonie Island.

The new playground will now allow the handicapped children to play alongside their able bodied school friends in safety. Headteacher Mrs Julia Thomas said “Wooden Spoon gave funds to build a beautiful resource called Spoon Island. With £20,000 from Spoon and a further £5,000 raised from the school’s Parents’ Association, we have created a quieter area for imaginative play with a pirate ship, bridge and stepping stones. This facility has made a great difference to the school and to the children”.

Lawrence Dallaglio was, as always, an excellent ambassador for Spoon. The children welcomed him in the playground with a song and, following the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony and photos, they interviewed him in assembly, acting as journalists and photographers. Lawrence took part in questions and answers from a panel of 7 year olds with probing questions such as "Which is your favourite ice-cream?" and "Why, if your name is Lorenzo, are you called Lawrence?". Lawrence answered all questions with characteristic aplomb. He was then asked to demonstrate his hidden prowess of disco dancing and he also gave some coaching tips to budding rugby players. An eventful day ended with the children singing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and each class having their photo taken with Lawrence. The opening was memorable, and enjoyed by all; one which affirmed the aims of Wooden Spoon.

The project was originally identified and brought to the attention of the Middlesex Committee by committee member David Hiles. Members of the Project Team, Ian Bocock and Jean Murphy, then instigated David’s idea and within six months from  identification Spoon Island was completed and opened. Middlesex Chairman, Gordon Brown commented “Spoon Island is a great start to the New Year for Middlesex. The quick turnaround and excitement created from Coteford School has had a knock-on effect to our other projects which are ongoing in 2007. We are delighted to see the sparkle in the children’s eyes as they broadly smile with gratitude and we look forward to completing two more deserving projects over the coming months with similar outcomes”.