PUPILS at an Alloa primary school were brimming with ideas as they showcased their own designs for the Wee County's wellbeing hub.

As previously reported, a site in the west of the town has been chosen by councillors for the wellbeing hub, which will feature a swimming pool and much more.

Cllr Graham Lindsay, spokesperson for education, and Cllr Scott Harrison, sports spokesperson, attended Redwell PS last week to see the suggestions from two P5 classes.

The elected representatives were invited by Mrs Sarah Black, whose pupils have been working on a project designing their very own leisure centres.

With a site recently selected, and the project moving into a detailed design stage, the wellbeing hub was a topical choice and the councillors were blown away by the ideas.

Despite their younger age, the pupils were more than clued in and even considered aspects such as sustainability, timescales, cost and more.

Cllr Lindsay told the Advertiser: “It was a great opportunity for us.

“We selected the site and now as we move onto the design stage it's perfect timing to come in, engage with young people and just see what they are thinking, what their ideas are.”

The council's recently recruited sports development manager was also in attendance with the trio exploring the cardboard models and ideas created by the young people.

Cllr Lindsay said: “We were getting a real grilling from them on what we were thinking in terms of what would be inside it.

“We very much put that back to the young people, what do you think should be in it?

“There were loads of different ideas, even to the point that they were looking at the sustainability agenda, looking solar panels – it was so impressive.”

For P5, the councillor was impressed with the breadth and depth of ideas.

“It was really quite heartening, actually,” Cllr Lindsay continued.

“There were lots of ideas we thought about, lots of ideas we have not thought about and lots of ideas that are quite viable actually – it was a really good exercise for us.”

Stakeholder engagement is ongoing and young people, who could become the most prominent users of the hub in the making, are at the heart of that with more opportunities to come.

Cllr Lindsay added: “It was a great opportunity just to see what they are thinking, they are going to be the people that used this facility than anybody in the coming years.

“It was really nice; it was not something we asked for, they were the ones that came up with this project.”

Cllr Lindsay is keen to build excitement around the £17million project, which is set to deliver a modern and sustainable leisure and wellbeing facility.