Salford City Academy in Greater Manchester Adds Dining Canopy

What was the project brief?

Salford City Academy in Eccles, Greater Manchester had the idea to have a dining shelter installed. This was born from their need to increase space at break times and to reduce queues, pressure on their existing facilities and the effort the entire school had to expend between classes. The staff wanted a light, airy structure that would encourage the children to get outdoors more often while also improving the look of the grounds. Also, specially added lighting and a high-quality build would mean that it could be used in all seasons. They liked our canopy designs so they got in touch with us to carry out their project.

What was our canopy solution?

We carefully looked at Salford City Academy’s needs and, after talking through our products, they picked a Motiva Duo™. This model is well-suited to becoming a dining canopy, thanks to its ability to be a strong, standalone structure. We installed it with 18000mm X 10000mm specifications to provide room for many students to eat and socialise at once outdoors, throughout the year. Plus, Jet Black steelwork and an Opal roof created an attractive contrast and instantly boosted the aesthetics outside. The addition of lighting meant that spending time in the new facility would be more pleasant during the winter and dimmer days with less daylight.

What was the result of the dining shelter?

Salford City Academy was really pleased with the new canopy. Break times are now not so crowded and it’s easier for the children and staff alike to relax between lessons. The dining shelter is a fantastic, modern space for everything from eating to chatting with friends and getting more fresh air because of it is sure to have great benefits for everyone’s mental health. What’s more, it looks at home in the grounds, like it has always been there, and the lighting has proved incredibly useful for all-hours usage. The school team said that they liked our approach to the project and we were thrilled to have completed it to receive such positive feedback.

About the client

Salford City Academy is part of United Learning – a group of academies, primaries and independent schools who work by the motto ‘The Best in Everyone’. Its curriculum helps its students to develop a wide range of skills and reading in both children and staff is encouraged, particularly through the DEAR reading programme. The team there also promote values including honesty, tolerance and co-operation. It was a pleasure to complete this canopy installation and we hope many years of students enjoy the facility.

Salford City Academy is based in Eccles, Greater Manchester – famous for the Eccles cake. Only a few miles from the city itself, it has good access to the sporting glory of Manchester with attractions such as Old Trafford and food galore like Rusholme’s curry mile, which features about 70 different Indian restaurants. The Cheshire countryside is close by too, so it’s easy for locals to spend time with loved ones in the great outdoors.

What other kinds of clients find dining shelters useful?

We have supplied canopies to many different customers who want to create covered outdoor dining spaces – not just schools. Healthcare sites can use them to make areas for the entire community to relax and eat in year-round, from staff in need of a much-deserved break in a different atmosphere to patients or visitors who enjoy the benefits of some fresh air at lunchtime. Dining shelters can be useful for universities as they help them to extend their facilities and accommodate more students. Also, they can allow parks to make their cafés and other attractions more accessible for their customers in all weathers.

If you’re thinking about having a dining canopy installed at your institution or business, we’d love to manufacture it for you. Send us an email at [email protected] now to get in touch.

Where can I find answers to my questions on your website?

If you have some simple questions about our work or products, you should be able to discover the answers in our FAQs pages. We have a section dedicated to commonly asked questions like ‘will I need planning permission?’ and ‘how much will the canopy cost?’, as well as tailored pages for more specific topics like installation, cost, safety and technical information. Our helpful, friendly team can then assist you with further or more complex queries. It’s easy to contact us about a waterproof sail shade, an outdoor classroom shelter or anything in between – simply call us on 01743 444100 or email us at [email protected] today.