Howard Civil Engineering were delighted to help ensure nursery and reception pupils at Crossflatts Primary School had a fantastic return to school this September by building new playground equipment using repurposed materials from our sites! 

Community liaison officer Sophie Henderson commented: ‘We were approached by a member of Crossflatts Primary School and asked if we would like to donate any used materials which we would normally recycle. After a brief discussion with our operations teams, we instead agreed to go one step further and collaborate with staff members at the school to build them the equipment they needed.’

In addition to custom-built water walls and balance beams, Howard Civil Engineering also built a wendy home, a wildlife hotel, and a mud pit for the children to enjoy upon their return to school.

‘When coronavirus hit and the school had to close to pupils, it gave us much-needed time to reflect on the space and materials we have available and consider how we could improve the playground for the children,’ said reception teacher Adele Smith. ‘Budgets are non-existent at the minute so we typically use whatever we can get our hands on, whether this may be used tyres donated by members of staff or wood chippings which would otherwise be discarded. To have someone not only donate something of this scale but also assemble and install the apparatus is like Christmas to us.

‘Understanding the world around them us a huge part of the learning experience for nursery and reception classes so it is very important to ensure the children can play outside as much as possible. The wildlife hotel is a great addition to the playground as it will definitely further the children’s understanding of mini beasts. Most importantly the water walls, balance beams and mud pit will help them with their muscle development which is crucial for children who are learning to write.’

David Aspinall, project manager at Bradford Metropolitan District Council, praised Howard Civil Engineering’s commitment to improving our local communities: ‘Having worked with Howard Civil Engineering on the Hard Ings Road project at Keighley since last May, I know that this is not an isolated incident. There are several other examples that I could list, and it is to their credit that Howard Civil Engineering genuinely strive to go the extra mile in regard to helping local communities.’

Returning reception pupils were amazed when they saw the new apparatus in the playground last Wednesday. ‘The children are absoloutely loving the new playground equipment,’ said Adele. ‘What a great start to the year!’