Leading partnerships developer Lovell and Newport’s largest social landlord Newport City Homes have hosted an educational site visit for school children based near their upcoming Ringland Regeneration project in Newport.
The large-scale transformation programme is bringing a new lease of life to the Ringland area of Newport and has been developed in close consultation with the local community. It will involve delivery of 158 affordable new homes and the relocation of the Ringland shopping centre, ensuring that residents can continue to take pride in their community.
The £34 million project will be built by Lovell for Newport City Homes, is set to be delivered over four phases and provide apprenticeship and work experience opportunities for local people.
Meriel Gough, Lovell Community Development Co-ordinator, Kyle Bissex, Lovell Management Trainee, Jo Hawkins, Lovell Site Manager, Ellie Farmer, Labourer and Laura Palfrey, Newport City Homes Development Partnership Co-Ordinator all visited Ringland Primary School to deliver talks to a total of 93 students.
The sessions included informational talks about the various machinery the children will see throughout the project, the importance of appropriate safety gear such as hard hats and how pupils should stay safe when cycling and walking around the development. Lovell also taught the pupils about the environmental considerations that go into construction, including how the site team separates waste, plants greenery and builds animal habitats like bug hotels.
The children then enjoyed interactive elements that allowed them to identify hazards on a site and got the chance to try on hi-vis vests and hard hats and experience the effectiveness of safety boots.
Each of the students who attended sessions throughout the day went home with a Lovell sports bag containing a pen, pencil and sharpener, and a health and safety booklet was distributed to both the school staff and children.
Gemma Clissett, regional partnerships director at Lovell, said:
“Safety is our top priority at Lovell, so we were more than happy to deliver this educational session to local children, to help educate them on staying safe and the exciting process of development and construction.
“We look forward to hosting more sessions like this in the future and would be delighted to hear from any schools in the area who would like to take part.”
Mr Prewett, Headteacher at Ringland Primary School, said:
“It was fantastic to be able to welcome in the team from Lovell; the children really enjoyed their sessions and learnt a great deal from the staff who came and joined us! It is great to have these relationships with companies making a difference in our local communities”.
Matthew Davies, Executive Director of Development at Newport City Homes said:
“Our work in Ringland is transforming the area for local people, and meeting the demand for housing with 158 new homes.
“We know that carrying out such large-scale work has an impact on the local community, so it was great to see so many children getting involved in the project. Not only learning about the importance of safety on and near a building site, but sustainable building practices and architecture too.
“Engaging with our communities is essential throughout the work we do. Sessions like these help keep local families informed, and perhaps even inspire some children to consider a rewarding career in housing and construction.”
If any school near the Ringland Regeneration site would like support from Lovell, please contact marketing.wales@lovell.co.uk
Lovell is a leading provider of partnership housing and has been building communities for over 50 years. For more information, visit https://corporate.lovell.co.uk/.
You can also like Lovell on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lovellhomes and follow Lovell on Instagram at @lovell_homes, and on LinkedIn @LovellPartnershipsLtd.
