Primary school pupils in Bexhill got a taste of the construction industry at a site visit to a new housing location in the town.
The group of 30 reception class children from St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School in Hastings Road visited Vistry Group’s The Gateway development, less than half a mile away in Wrestwood Road on Wednesday (13 July).
The children were given a brief introduction to housebuilding and were told about carpentry and bricklaying whilst laying a few themselves. They also took part in a game of guessing the number of bricks, hammered some nails, and got to look at the machines on site before a final quiz was held to wrap up the day.
Vistry organised the trip in conjunction with The Pelham, a Christian charity in Bexhill, which runs a host of projects to empower local people, including The Pelham Building Enterprise which provides jobs in construction for trainee labourers, alongside helping them achieve their health and safety training and CSCS cards, as an introduction to the construction industry.
The housebuilder is working with The Pelham to deliver the Local Employment and Skills Plan (LESP), as part of the section 106 agreement, to deliver social value and local opportunities to the community. The site has also donated timber and materials from the site to eliminate waste and allow them to be reused for charitable purposes.
Ollie Jeffs, CEO of The Pelham, whose daughter took part in the visit, said: “St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School is very local to The Gateway site and many children often walk or drive past it on the way to school.
“It made sense for them to visit the site, especially because reception class, which my daughter is in, is currently learning about homes.
“Visits such as these allow the children to be inspired that construction is a great industry to work in and that new homes come with new opportunities in the area.”
Lee Cote, site manager at The Gateway, said: “We were really pleased to welcome the children from St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School to the site. Visits like these are such a good thing to help them understand what we do.
“It’s great to see children interested in the industry – hopefully it might inspire some of them to one day look to construction as a career.”
Vistry is building a range of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes at its The Gateway location under the Bovis Homes brand.
For more information, visit bovishomes.co.uk.
References to “we”, “us” or “our” are to the part of the Vistry Group (including Linden Homes, Bovis Homes, Countryside Homes, Drew Smith, Vistry Ventures or one of Vistry’s joint venture companies) from which you are intending to purchase a new home. References to "you” and “your” are to the prospective buyer or buyers of a new home from us.
All images are used for illustrative purposes only and are representative only. They may not be the same as the actual home you purchase and the specification may differ. Images may be of a slightly different model of home and may include optional upgrades and extras which involve additional cost. Individual features such as windows, brick, carpets, paint and other material colours may vary and also the specification of fittings may vary. Any furnishings and furniture are not included in any sale. Please check with our sales consultants for details of the exact specifications available at the development(s) for each type of home and the associated prices.
