Wheatfield’s alien invasion brings a splash of colour to localbuilding site

School children are usually advised to steer well clear of building sites but a group of pupils from Wheatfield School in Winnersh were invited to come and have a closer look after entering a building site safety competition organised by the Considerate Constructors Scheme.

Their artwork, inspired by the popular children’s book Aliens Love Underpants, adorns the hoardings of construction company Castleoak’s new Abbeyfield care home project, close to the school on Woodward Close.

Scheme mascot Ivor Goodsite was on hand to welcome the Wheatfield pupils as they visited the site to see their artwork on the wall, whilst also being taught the important messages of site safety, and learning about the place of the new facility – a dementia care home – in their community.

“We had a fantastic visit to the site, and the children found the whole experience fascinating,” said Wheatfield’s head teacher Bev Homer. “We’re only a new school ourselves, so it’s very important to us that we establish a presence in the local community, and the opportunity to have a visit like this, and to add something to the neighbourhood, is very important. It’s also important for the children to have an awareness of older people, so we look forward to continuing to remain involved with Abbeyfield when it opens.

“As well as getting across the vital message about where is safe to go and where to stay clear of when building work is going on, the children learnt about the role Abbeyfield will play in the local community - and of course they were delighted to see their artwork on
display,” Mrs Homer added.

“Aliens love Underpants is always popular with children of this age, so we thought murals of it would raise a smile from other local residents who might not otherwise have heard of it. They’ve certainly seen it now, and I hope we’ve brightened up a few people’s trips to
work – I know it’s made the school run a lot more fun for the children.”