Date published: 26 November 2024
School children in Leeds have been loving a new sandpit built by Stonewater and construction firm, Jack Lunn Limited.
The leading affordable housing provider teamed up with the construction firm to give children at Grimes Dyke Primary School in Swarcliffe an outdoor play area.
Grimes Dyke Primary School is located near Stonewater’s Swarcliffe Avenue affordable housing scheme, and teachers approached the organisation to see if they could help construct the new outdoor play space.
Swarcliffe Avenue will provide a total of 33 affordable homes, comprising 24 social rent and nine Shared Ownership homes. These homes have been developed with energy efficiency features such as solar panels and electric vehicle chargers to help reduce energy bills for customers.
Linda Horner, Development Manager at Stonewater, said: “We were so pleased to be able to support the local primary school with the creation of their new sandpit.
“Establishing a sense of community is a core focus in all of our developments, and we know that some of the children and their families may become residents at Swarcliffe Avenue, so it was important for us to build these local connections.
“It was a pleasure to work with our construction partner, Jack Lunn, to create this space for the students to enjoy.”
Luke Simeunovich, Director at Jack Lunn, said: “We believe the key to success is teamwork, which is vital on any project, whether that is at site level or when it comes to social value, and we know that Stonewater share the same values.
“When the opportunity arose to build the sandpit at Grimes Dyke Primary School, we were only too pleased to be involved in any way we could. We understand the importance of working within the community, especially when it involves a school, and we were very pleased to see the amount of excitement it generated with the teachers and the children.
“We hope that the children enjoy using their new facility for many years to come,” Louise James, a teacher at Grimes Dyke Primary School, said: “We have wanted a sandpit at Grimes Dyke for a few years now and are extremely grateful that Stonewater and Jack Lunn have helped to make this happen for us.
“We strive to provide a range of exciting activities at lunchtimes so that the children can play, have fun and enjoy themselves. The children love it, and it is never empty. We now have a platinum OPAL award (Outdoor Play and Learning) – the first school in Yorkshire! The Sandpit definitely helped us achieve this. Thank you so much from all the staff and pupils.”
Swarcliffe Avenue is located five miles from Leeds City Centre and the development is due to be completed in July 2025.