Publication Date: 17-12-2024 09:00
Local schoolchildren sing Christmas carols at new housing development in Desborough
A group of local schoolchildren singing Christmas carols brought festive joy to a new housing development in Desborough.
Ashberry Homes, which is building new homes at The Wickets, off Stoke Road in the town, invited pupils from Loatlands Primary School to perform at the site on Thursday 12 December.
The group of 28 Year 6 pupils entertained their parents and staff by singing on decking outside the sales centre at the development, which is about a mile from the school.
The parents were given mulled wine and mince pies as the schoolchildren, and a couple of members of staff, sang carols during a 15-minute performance.
Ashberry Homes also gave each pupil a gingerbread house to decorate over the festive period. The children have until Thursday 2 January to produce a decorated house and the winning entry will receive a £100 John Lewis voucher.
The housebuilder is also giving eight tonnes of bark to the school for use in its outside activity area, and donated two bottles of wine as raffle prizes in the school’s fund-raising Christmas bazaar.
Gillian Seakens, Business Manager at Loatlands Primary School, said: “Loatlands Primary School was delighted to be able to support the local community by singing Christmas carols at The Wickets development. The children really enjoyed the chance to sing outside and their parents really enjoyed seeing them perform.
“We would like to thank Ashberry Homes for their hospitality on the day and for the kind donations towards the fund-raising raffle and our Forest School provision, which is where we teach the children outdoor skills and a better appreciation of nature. The generous gift of the bark will allow us to refurbish the outside area which can get sodden and muddy at this time of the year.”
Kenny Lattimore, Sales Manager at Ashberry Homes, said: “It is part of our ethos as a housebuilder to reach out to people in the local community, so we invited children from Loatlands Primary School to come along to spread some festive cheer. The children sang beautifully and it was a really special event where we got to know some of the local residents and were able to share a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie with them.
“The staff from the school told us about how they would like to refresh the ground at their outside area and we were happy to suggest dropping off some bark to help them do just that. We were also happy to make a donation to the tombola stall to help bolster the coffers of the school’s funds.
“We can’t wait to see what the children do with the gingerbread houses we have given them. We hope they have fun decorating them with their families over the Christmas holidays.”
Ashberry Homes, which is part of Bellway Group, is building 350 new homes at The Wickets. For more information about the development call 01536 614392 or visit https://www.ashberryhomes.co.uk/new-homes/east-midlands/the-wickets.
