Gleeson Homes invites Mareham-le-Fen CofE Primary School to design a bedroom

Over 30 eager pupils from the school entered the competition, with pupils aged four to 11 submitting entries. Many pupils drew their dream bedroom on a simple A4 piece of paper, whilst others used a shoe box, going to considerable effort to create a themed design.

The regional team at Gleeson judged the entries, narrowing them down to a winner and a runner up. The winner Poppy, age nine, and runner up Marnie, age seven were both presented with a certificate and a book token by Gleeson Sales Manager, Maureen Hynes, and Divisional Marketing Coordinator, Abbie Davis.

Pupils from the school have been invited to attend the show home opening ceremony at Birkwood upon their completion at the end of this year. This is Gleeson’s second time collaborating with the school, with students previously taking part in a competition to name the development. The name Birkwood was chosen by a year five pupil and represents a deserted medieval village which is adjacent to Mareham-le-Fen.

The school has also been invited to attend the development for a health and safety talk, which will cover the dangers of playing on building sites and the importance of wearing the correct PPE, plus the school will be burying a time capsule in the garden of one of the show homes.

Avril Moore Head Teacher at Mareham-le-Fen Church of England School said:

“The winners of both competitions are very proud of their achievements and are looking forward to visiting the development when building starts. When we spoke to the children about the new homes being built they made the following comments:”

‘I’m pleased the new development is being built because it will mean many more children will be moving here and will have a chance to get an amazing education at Mareham Le Fen School. I will also get a chance to meet new people and make new friends.’

‘I hope the new houses bring many more people to our lovely village and school.’

‘The new development means more people will expand our community and more people will come to our school.’

Wayne Sutton, Regional Managing Director for East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire at Gleeson said:

“We love to be part of the learning of our local children, and our teams are both happy and excited to work with classes of local children to create and bury time capsules, name our streets, design a show home bedroom or plant flowers and trees. We want to make a difference in our communities and impact local people in a positive way from a young age.

“Working with Mareham-le-Fen Primary School has been an absolute delight and I can’t wait to see the winning bedroom come to life in our new show home.”

Birkwood is made up of 62 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes, only a stone’s throw from the village’s amenities and is ideally located on the A155, which links Mareham-le-Fen to the A16, House prices at Birkwood start from just £151,995 for a 3 bedroom home.

Gleeson is donating considerable Section 106 contributions on this development, including £240,598 towards education, a £37,510 contribution to the NHS, £5,000 towards amending the speed limit nearby to provide safer entry to the development, and £12,000 towards a village play area for children to enjoy. The site will also boast a large amount of picturesque public open space, in keeping with the surrounding area.

Gleeson understands the importance of involving the local community before and during the construction of its developments and leaving a legacy once the work is complete and is seeking local labour and sub-contractors to work on this exciting new development, including applications from local young people who are interested in joining the Gleeson apprenticeship scheme.

Gleeson now has five live developments throughout Lincolnshire, with a further four developments expected to launch later this year.