Pupils past and present will be able to take a trip down memory lane next week as two schools and a nursery get ready to move to a shared campus.

Neilston Primary, St Thomas’ Primary and Madras Family Centre will soon be making the switch to a new purpose-built facility, constructed on grounds within the site of the current Neilston Primary.

Barrhead News:

Although a date for the move has yet to be announced, furniture is already being moved in.

For all three establishments, the change will herald the beginning of an exciting new chapter but also the end of an era – with all three keen to mark the occasion.

A thanksgiving Mass is to be held at 2pm on Wednesday, December 20, at St Thomas’ Church, with the staff and children of St Thomas’ Primary inviting parents and anyone else with a connection to the school to come along.

The school will also host an event for anyone who wishes to pop in for old times’ sake between 4pm and 7pm.

This will feature a display of photographs through the decades and some small activities that people can contribute to.

Neilston Primary, meanwhile, will host a ‘One Last Time’ event on the same day.

This will involve two similar sessions – one from 3.15pm to 4.15pm and the other from 6.15pm to 7.15pm.

During the night session, people will also be able to visit the nursery.

Emma Roberts, a teacher at Neilston Primary, said: “We asked the school community what they would like to do to commemorate the building and a lot of people said they just wanted to have a wee walk round because they have special memories and it was a big part of their life.”

The sessions at Neilston Primary will feature photos from over the decades, refreshments, live music and time to reminisce.

Past and present pupils will be among the musicians playing at the event, including Neil Wood – a clársach player and former pupil who went on to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and set up The Folks’ Music Project.

The Neilston legacy event is free but ticketed and anyone who has not yet booked their place can do so by emailing the school office via schoolmail@neilston.e-renfrew.sch.uk.

They should include the time they would like to attend and how many tickets are required. A member of the admin team will then reply.

People are asked to avoid calling the school about tickets, as it is a busy time for the admin staff.