Orbit Homes welcomes primary school ‘Building Buddies’ to Daventry development

‘Building Buddies’ is aimed at children aged 7 to 11 in Key Stage Two and saw pupils from Stoke Primary School in Coventry invited to experience a unique hands-on visit at Micklewell Park.

The pupils were able to broaden their knowledge of construction and the skills used in the industry by safely exploring the site, speaking to the development team, learning the importance of health and safety, and discovering how brand-new homes are constructed.

Children also tried their hand at bricklaying and had the chance to build a home of their own alongside Orbit Homes colleagues, with a special 3D model house which teaches children about the different stages involved in building a new home.

The school children received a special completion certificate and pin badge to take home after the visit.

Andrew Leonard, the Senior Site Manager at Orbit Homes leading the visit, said: “We want to show young people the variety of careers available within the construction industry and our Building Buddies educational programme helps children discover housebuilding and just how exciting it can be!

“All the pupils from Stoke Primary School were really interested and engaged throughout the site visit and it was great to see so many of them asking questions. By the end of the tour, the children had a greater understanding of construction and all the different job roles involved in building a new house.

Rhiann McGarrity, School Business Manager at Stoke Primary School, added: “Students loved visiting the Micklewell Park development and it was such a unique experience for the children to learn from.

“The children are part of our ‘VIP Toolbox Team’ who work closely with our Site Services Manager, Mr McGarrity, taking part in after school clubs to learn different trades and widen their skills and knowledge. To see the new VIP group so engaged in their trip to Micklewell Park this early into the academic year has been amazing, we are so excited to see our Toolbox Team using their new skills throughout the rest of the school year.

“Having the opportunity to be a Building Buddy with Orbit Homes has been a great experience and we’d like to thank Orbit Homes once again for their support, time, and efforts in providing these special moments for our Stoke Primary children.”

Brian Nearney, Regional Managing Director for Orbit Homes commented: “Our Building Buddies initiative is a fantastic example of how our team at Orbit Homes are keen to engage with local communities and I know how much they thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the children.

“Alongside Building Buddies, we have also recently launched another free educational programme, ‘Eco Buddies’, which allows primary school children to learn more about the environment and the important role housebuilding plays in promoting biodiversity for future generations.”

‘Building Buddies’ also offers free classroom resources available to download from the Orbit Homes website, including Maths and English activities linked to day-to-day construction jobs, as well as a supporting pack for teachers. All the resources are available at: www.orbithomes.org.uk/about-orbit/building-buddies. To book a ‘Building Buddies’ visit or for more information, contact: [email protected].

Orbit Homes recently launched another free educational programme, ‘Eco Buddies’, which will see the affordable housebuilder partner with local schools to build features which support greater biodiversity within school grounds, and also includes a series of worksheets and activities which can be used both at home and in the classroom. For more information, visit: orbithomes.org.uk/eco-buddies.

Micklewell Park currently offers a stylish collection of four and five-bedroom houses for market sale on the outskirts of Daventry, each featuring Orbit Homes’ all-inclusive specification, which offers kitchen appliances, flooring and turf as standard.