In December, Compendium Living staff joined a lesson at the primary school near our Castleward development in Derby city centre.
Wendy Lister, Project Manager, spoke to Year two pupils of Castleward Spencer Academy as part of their Science curriculum. She provided a hands-on workshop and educational talk to support their understanding of the use of materials in building.
During the session, Wendy showed the children examples of building materials that are used on site. She also talked about the materials, which ranged from brick and wood to metal, explaining how these are used in a new build home.
The pupils then had a go at building towers, using foam bricks provided by our construction partner Lovell. We provided trowels (and aprons!) and fake cement made of flour, water and paint for them to use in groups. Most importantly, everyone got the chance to have a go, and later in the lesson they all tried on hi-vis vests and hard hats.
Charlotte Cashmore, Teacher at Castleward Spencer Academy, said: “We really did appreciate Compendium Living coming and working with the children. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves.”
Wendy Lister said: “Many of the pupils at Castleward Spencer Academy actually live on our Castleward development. I really enjoyed taking the opportunity to be able to teach them something about how their homes were built. We hope the children thoroughly enjoyed becoming bricklayers for the day, as they all built brilliant towers.
“At Compendium Living, we believe in supporting the communities that we operate in. We’re looking forward to continuing to support Castleward Spencer Academy and the wider Derby community as Castleward progresses.”
Beth Bundonis, regional managing director at Lovell Partnerships, said: “One of the things we enjoy about working on new homes throughout the region is the various ways in which we can get truly involved with local communities.
“ The community around Castleward in Derby is no different, and Castleward Spencer Academy is a perfect example. Together with Compendium Living we have been able to give local children the opportunity to understand how new homes are built in a fun and hands-on way. Subsequently, we hope this inspires them to become the housebuilders of tomorrow!”