Pictured above: (Front row, from left) Sidemoor First school pupils Rebekah Emus and Bethany Youngjohns check out the newly refurbished outdoor classroom at Sidemoor First School with (back row) deputy chair of bdht Chris Bovey, chair of Nexus Housing Graham Myatt and Shane Robinson from Wates 

Big-hearted staff swapped their hard hats for gardening gloves to give an outdoor classroom a makeover to benefit pupils at a Bromsgrove primary school.

Pupils at Sidemoor First School, on Perryfields Road, were given a helping hand from staff at affordable housing contractor Wates to revive their outdoor classroom.

As part of its annual community day, a team of eight staff from Wates Living Space spent a day transforming the outdoor classroom, which needed new bark to be laid and weeding and general tidying around it. The team also created new flower boxes and planters to brighten up the outdoor space for pupils.

Staff from Wates are working on building a new affordable housing development on Perryfields Road, which is a joint venture between WM Housing and Bromsgrove District Housing Trust (bdht). Each year Wates donates a working day for each of its staff to carry out projects that benefit communities in which it works.

Shane Robinson, project manager for Wates Living Space, said: "When we looked for a community project to get involved in we thought working with the school would be ideal as it directly benefits people living close  to the housing development.

"The outdoor classroom is a valuable learning facility for the school so we are pleased to be able turn it into a safe and tidy area for the pupils to use. We always enjoy getting out into the communities in which we work and it is good to know we are making a difference to people's lives."

Deputy chairman of bdht Chris Bovey, and chairman of Nexus Housing, which is a part of WM Housing Group, Graham Myatt, popped into the community day to see how the work was progressing.

Chris Bovey said: "We're really pleased to be working alongside such a community focused company as Wates and it's fantastic that the team has dedicated its time and resources in this way. The outdoor classroom is a really vibrant and inspiring space for pupils to learn in."

Graham Myatt added: "I was delighted to see that the pupils were happy with the work that was done to improving the outdoor classroom. It was very generous of Wates to donate the time to benefit the school as it is a vital community facility." 

There will be 158 homes on the Perryfields Road site when it's completed.

The first homes on the development are already complete and most of the new residents have moved in. 

There are still some properties available to purchase on a shared ownership basis.

The Perryfields showhome is open from 11am - 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays and week days by prior appointment.

Prices for the shared ownership homes currently range from £43,250 for a 50 per cent share of a one bedroom apartment, up to £89,750 for a 50 per cent share of a spacious four bedroom house.

A further 19 homes are available on affordable intermediate market rent and the remaining 84 homes are available for social rent.

Anyone interested in buying a home should contact the WM Housing sales team on 0300 333 6599.