Lovell and Placefirst invited primary school pupils to design three new safety signs for display at a housing development in Newcastle.
Working in partnership to deliver 146 build-to-rent homes at Benwell Dene in the city’s West End, the developers approached nearby Bridgewater School, challenging students to create signs that encourage positive health and safety habits.
Representatives from the North East region of Lovell, the national partnership housing specialist contracted to build the properties, and Placefirst, the developer and long-term operator of the scheme, visited the school in Delaval Road, Benwell, to give a talk on health and safety to pupils.
Naz Singh, Health, Safety and Environment Manager for the North East region of Lovell, Holly Sale, Brand Manager at Placefirst, and Lee Gould, Head of Pre-Construction at Placefirst, delivered a presentation to educate the childrenabout the dangers of building sites and why it is important to wear personal protective equipment (PPE).
At the end of the presentation, the speakers announced a competition challenging the children to design a new poster to get across three important messages – PPE must be worn, all visitors must report to the site office and no unauthorised access. All winning posters will be reproduced on hoardings at the Benwell Dene development. Certificates to all the children who took part were handed out on Tuesday 15 July.
“We would like to thank both Lovell and Placefirst for making the effort to send out a delegation to come along to this assembly to talk to the children about health and safety considerations. Our pupils thoroughly enjoyed the presentation which was a fun way to introduce a serious issue.
“We are keen to introduce the children to the concept of the workplace and this presentation was an opportunity to do just that. We shall also use the issues and topics raised in the talk to feed into the curriculum and incorporate them into classroom learning.”
Samantha Robson, Headteacher at Bridgewater School
This is the latest collaboration between the school, Lovell and Placefirst. Samantha and the school’s Business Manager Adam Beechey met representatives from both developers when they were given a guided tour of the Benwell Dene site in February.
“The provision of 146 long-term rental properties at Benwell Dene will bring significant social benefits to this part of Newcastle, where high-quality and secure homes for local families are much needed.
“Our commitment to supporting the local community in Benwell goes much further than that, however, and we are keen to foster meaningful relationships with key organisations such as Bridgewater School.
“It’s never too early to help educate children on the dangers that can be present on live building sites, so we hope our presentation managed to get an important message across. We are looking forward to putting the children’s work on display to promote good health and safety practices at Benwell Dene.”
Phil Jones, Head of Land and Partnerships for the North East region of Lovell
“Our collaboration with Lovell and Bridgewater School is a great example of how at Placefirst we are committed to making a lasting, positive impact on the communities we build that goes beyond bricks and mortar.
“This initiative not only delivers important safety messages to local schoolchildren but also encourages them to take an interest in construction and development. We’re looking forward to seeing the children’s creativity brought to life across the site.
“Benwell Dene is a landmark development that will bring much-needed rental homes to the West End of Newcastle and we hope to continue to work in partnership with the local community as it evolves.”
Holly Sale, Brand Manager at Placefirst
The Benwell Dene development is regenerating a six-acre brownfield site located off Delaval Road, providing 119 two to four-bedroom houses and 27 two-bedroom apartments for long-term rent.
Placefirst, a developer and operator of single-family homes, appointed Lovell as the contractor to build the homes in June 2024. Construction started on site in August 2024, and the scheme is expected to be completed by June 2027. Once finished, the homes will be managed by Placefirst.
