Safety is the ‘bear’ essential says local house builder

Thu, Feb 8th 2007, 11:00

‘Play safe, stay safe’ was the lesson learned by the pupils at Westbury C. of E. Junior School, when Buster the bear made a special appearance. 

Buster is the health and safety mascot of house builder Redrow Homes, an award winning developer responsible for creating the Lakeland’s Edge development just off Station Road, close to the school, in Westbury.

With half term approaching, Redrow is keen to make children aware of the potential pitfalls of playing at or near building sites.

Richard Hatt, head teacher at Westbury C. of E. Junior School says: “Everyone had a fantastic time.  Buster gave out copies of his specially designed pack, ‘Buster Rules OK’, which is filled with jokes, puzzles and activities, to help children learn about the potential hazards on construction sites.

“It’s great that Redrow can get involved with the local community in a way which benefits the young children in the area. They sat and listened attentively to the assembly and the delivery by Redrow was great.  It was light-hearted, because of Buster, but it still got across the very serious safety message about the dangers of building sites.”

  
Redrow has also made a big commitment to education nationally by launching the Redrow Learning Web, an on-line resource which includes a teachers’ area to help them plan lessons and guide their pupils, meets with National Curriculum requirements and has been accredited by the National Grid for Learning.

The Learning Web is split into two modules – ‘The House Detectives’, aimed at primary school children aged eight to 11, and ‘Plan It … Build It’, which is targeted at secondary school pupils aged 12 – 16 as part of their citizenship studies.

‘The House Detectives’ enables children to compare and contrast their own community with others around the UK, while ‘Plan It … Build It’ challenges pupils to research, plan and ‘build’ a new development taking into account a full range of issues such as housing supply, planning policy, environmental concerns and sustainability.

Redrow’s health and safety manager, Robin Scoot, says: “Buster and his activity packs are a great help to us. Health and safety is a top priority for Redrow and we are strongly committed to supporting education, but it can be a struggle to keep the attention of children when you are trying to convey an important message. Buster raises awareness among children of the dangers of playing on building sites yet he does it in a fun and interesting way.”

Whilst children are discouraged from playing on the building site, adults are welcome to find out more about owning a home at Lakeland’s Edge by visiting Allen & Harris Estate Agents, 15a Warminster Road, Westbury, or calling Redrow on 01373 858838. The development will feature 92 apartments and houses within walking distance of Westbury train station.  

To discover the potential of The Redrow Learning Web – including an introduction to Buster the bear – visit www.education.redrow.co.uk