Castleward developer goes back to school

Regeneration specialist Compendium Living has been teaching primary school children how homes are being built at its £100 million Castleward development.

Wendy Lister, project manager at Compendium, recently hosted a workshop and talk for Year Two pupils at Castleward Spencer Academy – a school which has been built as part of the scheme.

During the session, which formed part of the school’s design and technology curriculum, Wendy showed the children examples of building materials that are used on site, from brick and wood, to flooring and pieces of kitchen worktop, and explained how these are used.

The pupils were then able to have a go at building, using foam bricks provided by Compendium Living’s construction partner Lovell and fake cement made of flour, water and paint, and had the opportunity to try on hi-vis vests and hard hats.

Wendy said: “As many of the pupils at Castleward Spencer Academy live on our Castleward development, it was wonderful to be able to teach them something about how their homes were built.

“We hope the children thoroughly enjoyed becoming construction workers for the day, as they all built brilliant structures.

“At Compendium Living, a core part of what we do is 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 best things about working on new homes throughout the region is the various ways in which we can get truly involved with local communities – and the community around Castleward in Derby is no different.

“Castleward Spencer Academy is a perfect example, where together with Compendium we have been able to give local children the opportunity to understand how new homes are built in a fun and hands-on way that hopefully inspires them to be the housebuilders of tomorrow.”

Charlotte Cashmore, a teacher at Castleward Spencer Academy, said: “We really did appreciate Compendium Living coming and working with the children. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves.”