Award-winning housebuilder, The Hill Group has launched an important awareness campaign aimed at engaging primary school children about the dangers of entering a construction site. Hill is rolling out the campaign to all primary schools nationwide during Child Safety Week, 3-9 June, which is run by the Accident Prevention Trust. The campaign is centred around an educational video featuring Hill's safety mascots, Jack and Jill, who demonstrate to children the rules that must be observed around building sites.

Child safety is a vital topic for the housebuilding industry; the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports that each year, two or three children die after gaining access to building sites, and many more are injured.

The video, along with downloadable activity worksheets, will be accessible on Hill's website, and the housebuilder will be engaging directly with primary schools in proximity to its current and forthcoming developments. The initiative is supported by the Home Builders Federation (HBF), as well as the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

Rhodri Williams, Technical and Sustainability Director at HBF, said: “Health and safety is vital in our industry, particularly as our members engage with communities where homes are being built. We are pleased to see child safety given a platform promoting awareness of best safety practices and protecting children. This will complement existing health and safety site practices in fostering safer communities for all.”

Lucie Wright, Head of Strategy at CITB, said: “Engaging with children to demonstrate the need for health and safety on a construction site is not just important for their wellbeing, but also provides an opportunity to introduce and promote the construction industry to younger generations – an urgent need for the industry.”

Sherlyn Ramsey, Interim Head Teacher at Newport Primary School, commented: “It's wonderful to see The Hill Group working towards safeguarding children in this way and informing them of the risks posed by construction site activity. The assembly was a great success, with the awareness video and campaign messages able to convey vital information in a fun and informative way to primary school children of all ages.”

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Video can be downloaded from this link or viewed on The Hill Group's website here.

About The Hill Group

Hill is an award-winning housebuilder and one of the leading developers in London, the home counties, and the South. 

The company is renowned for its partnership ethos, specialising in the building of distinctive new places and communities where people want to live, work, and socialise. It is now in the process of opening new regional offices to facilitate growth in the Midlands.

In its 25th year, this family-owned and operated company has grown to establish itself as the UK's second-largest privately-owned housebuilder, with an impressive and diverse portfolio of projects ranging from landmark, mixed-use regenerations, and inner-city apartment developments to homes in rural communities. 

Employing over 800 staff, the company operates from six strategically located regional offices, with its head office based in Waltham Abbey, Essex. 

Hill anticipates completing over 3,000 homes by the close of its current financial year and has a controlled land bank with planning consent for over 8,500 units. Around half of its portfolio is in joint ventures to deliver a range of mixed-tenure developments, reflecting Hill's commitment to partnerships with government, local authorities, housing associations, and private clients. 

Since the company was founded in 1999, Hill has won over 500 industry awards, including the esteemed titles of WhatHouse? Housebuilder of the Year in 2015, 2020, and most recently in 2023, when it also won the Best Large Housebuilder accolade in its first year entering the category. Rubicon, Hill's innovative and beautifully designed development at Knights Park in Eddington, Cambridge, has been recognised with four prestigious WhatHouse? Awards in 2023, including gold awards for Best Development and Best Exterior Design. Rubicon also won Best Design for Four Storeys or More at the 2023 Housebuilder Awards. The Beech, a stunning contemporary home at Marleigh, won the Best Family Home award at the Evening Standard New Homes Awards 2023 and silver in the Best House category at the WhatHouse? Awards in the same year.

In addition, Hill's dedication to delivering the highest quality homes and exceptional customer service has earned the housebuilder its 5-star status in the Home Builders Federation's annual Customer Satisfaction Survey for the past six years.  

The Hill Group is donating 200 fully equipped modular homes to local authorities and homeless charities as part of a £15 million pledge through its Foundation 200 programme, launched in 2019 to mark Hill's 20th anniversary.

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“Having workers that are trained and qualified in health and safety standards is vital for ensuring an employer's workforce can keep themselves and those around them safe. It's brilliant to see The Hill Group launch this initiative and raise awareness of health and safety on construction sites for children.”

The campaign was launched at Newport Primary School in Essex. Hill's Charlotte Blair, the presenter on the awareness video, was on hand to deliver an assembly to the school on the importance of construction site safety with the help of mascots, Jack and Jill. The assembly included a screening of the campaign film to all of the children and teachers at Newport Primary School which is located near Hill's highly sustainable Hollymead Square development, where the housebuilder has collaborated on various school community activities since starting on site in February

Rebecca Littler, Group Sales and Marketing Director at The Hill Group, commented “A construction site may seem like a fun place to explore for young children, but the risks of entering can be extremely serious. As a responsible housebuilder committed to prioritising health and safety, we actively engage and inform local communities about the work that we do, and site safety is a particularly important message to share. I'm very grateful to Newport Primary School for allowing myself, Jack, and Jill to present to the children, and we look forward to rolling out the campaign to more schools over the weeks ahead.”