The team at Barratt and David Wilson Homes North Midlands have made a lasting impact at Pear Tree Community Junior School in Derby by taking part in a transformative volunteering project.
After the school approached The Barratt Foundation – the Nottingham-based housebuilder’s dedicated charity – seeking assistance with essential upgrades, the North Midlands Customer Care team took action. Following discussions with the school to form an extensive wish list, Barratt and David Wilson Homes dedicated a week to making improvements, supported by generous donations from local suppliers.
The school underwent significant refurbishments, including the repainting and re-flooring of the therapy room, office, and hallway, as well as the installation of new blinds, glass, and one-way window treatments. The work was undertaken by the North Midlands Customer Care team, consisting of Kieron Siddall, Paul Topham, Nick Wheatley, Richard Boerder, Shane Godber, Dave Bateman and Head of Customer Care, Scott Gill.
Sam Wheatley, Buyer at Barratt and David Wilson Homes North Midlands, played a key role in co-ordinating the initiative, ensuring the project was a success. Andrew Sharp, Executive Headteacher for Pear Tree Community Junior School and Allenton Community Primary School at Transform Trust, said: “Early intervention is absolutely key to developing resilience and supporting mental health and wellbeing in our children.
“At Pear Tree, we are committed to prioritising mental health and wellbeing as well as academic and extracurricular success, and that is why we have developed such strong links with Place2Be over the past two years. The success of this relationship led us to think how we could create a designated place at the heart of the school where we could provide an onsite wholly child-centred service where everyone – school, family and external support services - is aligned and can work together to meet the individual needs of our children.
“It is thanks to the generosity of Barratt and David Wilson Homes, which has funded this project, the unrivalled passion of Hannah Donnan (our resident Place2Be Manager) and our devoted staff team, that we can now maximise this relationship. Together we can provide a dedicated, nurturing place with specialist support for any of our pupils or families who need it.
“Our hope is that by introducing this level of support at primary school age, we can really help children build a strong foundation for emotional well-being throughout their lives.” Rebecca Meredith, CEO at Transform Trust said: “Thriving schools are ones that understand the importance of working collaboratively with their families and wider community.
“This is a wonderful example of how a school has developed really strong relationships with like-minded organisations to meet the needs of our children and their families. I’m really proud of what all of our schools continue to achieve every day and look forward to seeing how our partnerships with our parents, carers and school communities grow this year.”
The school’s therapy room and hall were improved with new ceiling tiles, and an outdoor area clean-up included tree and plant installations along with a mud kitchen delivery for the pupils. Ford Windows, Munster, AM Norris, Saint Flooring, ESP Play, Reconomy, Carrier Landscapes, Office Innovations, Travis Perkins, Meridian Mortgages, Edward Thomas Interiors and Ant Sign and Print contributed vital materials to make the project possible.
Mark Cotes, Managing Director at Barratt and David Wilson Homes North Midlands, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have supported Pear Tree Community Junior School with this project. The work our team and suppliers have done will provide the school with facilities that make a real difference to both students and staff. At Barratt and David Wilson Homes, we believe in building communities, not just homes, and initiatives like this highlight the importance of giving back.
“A special thank you goes to Sam Wheatley for her dedication in leading this project and to our suppliers for their generosity in making it possible.” For information about the housebuilder’s developments in the county, visit the websites at Barratt Homes in Derbyshire and David Wilson Homes in Derbyshire.