Artwork by youngsters from a Rhyl primary school is on display at a building site in the town thanks to an initiative by an award-winning local construction company.
Anwyl Construction, who are carrying out a £1.4 million social housing redevelopment at Abbey Street, organised an art competition for the Year Four pupils of Ysgol Bryn Hedydd, after they visited the site as part of their World of Work project.
They were so impressed with the standard of the entries that they have now created a special sign at the site which displays all the children’s paintings and their names and when the project is completed this summer they will present it to the school.
In the meantime the Year Four classes and their teachers paid another visit to the Abbey Street site to unveil the sign and for the competition winners to receive their prizes.
Doing the honours for Anwyl Construction, the building firm founded in Rhyl in 1930 and now North Wales’s biggest homebuilder, was Commercial Manager Simon Rose who said: “Thank you to all the pupils for their efforts, they’re fantastic.
“We thought the standard of the work was so good that we wanted to commemorate it and so we have put the names up of everyone who took part in this and when the development is complete we will be handing it over to the school.
“Anwyl Construction have a long and important connection with the town of Rhyl and we’re very proud of that connection – our assistant site manager Chris Owen’s son, Mason, is in this class.
“This development is another in a long line of buildings here which have our stamp on them.”
The new Afallon development in Abbey Street is in the heart of the town’s West End and overlooks the Gerddi Heulwen green space which opened last year.
The driving force behind the scheme is West Rhyl Housing Co-operative, Wales’s first urban rental housing co-operative, formed by North Wales Housing and West Rhyl Community Land Trust.
Anwyl are building seven new three-bedroom family homes with private gardens and parking for North Wales Housing and are refurbishing former commercial premises which will house a community shop on the ground floor with two one-bedroom and two two-bedroom flats above.
Paul Diggory, Chief Executive of North Wales Housing said: “This development is for the community of Rhyl and part of the re-generation of West Rhyl, so we’re extremely happy to see the children have got involved.”
“Well done to everyone who took part, and to those who won in particular. The standard of the artwork is brilliant, and they deserve pride of place so everyone can see.”
Year Four teacher Ceri Jones said: “It’s been a fantastic project and worked really well with our World of Work week when we were looking at employment and opportunities for the children when they’re grown up.
“Anwyl organised the picture competition and now to be able to come here and see this is wonderful and to know that we can take it back to the school when the development is completed.
“This has really meant a lot to the children so many thanks to Anwyl who have been so professional, hard-working and helpful.”
The competition winner was eight-year-old Heather Dawes who said: “I thought I’d do something about the different skills and jobs the builders were doing and what it would all look like at the end.
“We discussed it and then planned it all and it was good fun, especially colouring it in and now it’s nice to see it up on the sign.”
