An exciting new art project celebrates the power of colour and creativity at St Richard's Primary School in Richmond. A collaboration between the school, celebrated North London artist Eloisa Henderson-Figueroa and award-winning five-star housebuilder The Hill Group, has resulted in the creation of bold, bright murals that are bringing joy to local youngsters.

The large-scale project saw Eloisa, whose aim is to brighten days and shift perspectives with her colourful, geometric designs, paint a series of stunning murals at St Richard's Primary, both inside and outside the buildings.

Students at the school fed into the design of the murals, with back-to-back workshops ensuring their artistic styles could form the basis of Eloisa's designs. The artist drew on the themes running through the children's artworks when creating the transformative murals.

Artist, Eloisa Henderson-Figueroa said: “This experience working with the children has been full of joy from start to finish. Seeing their amazing artwork in the workshops, then using them for the design and then seeing how proud they are that they have been able to be a part of the mural design has been amazing. Each day they would come out at break and lunch to see what else had been added to the mural and they loved guessing what colours were coming next. It has been pleasure to be a part of this project!"

The art project initially began as an idea for creating a blaze of colour on the hoarding at Ham Close, an exciting housing-led regeneration project in Ham, South-West London, situated within striking distance of St Richard's Primary School. Discussions with the local community led to the exciting expansion of the idea being brought into the school to add colour and vibrancy for the staff and pupils.

Headteacher Siân Murphy comments: “Eloisa has turned the ordinary into the extraordinary, capturing the children's boundless creativity and celebrating it beautifully with the artworks that now brighten up daily life for every pupil. We are grateful to Eloisa and The Hill Group for this lovely project, which has brought joy to our school community and shown the children how powerful art can be in creating happiness.”

Sana Year 5 commented: 'I really enjoyed the art workshop, we could be really creative and explore how to use colour in a fun way.  I really like the mural and think that it cheers you up when you are sad. I love that we helped create the design for the mural. It is beautiful and vibrant!'

Hill is passionate about creating happy, thriving communities and delivering social value, inspiring a broad range of initiatives from art projects to modular homes for those experiencing homelessness around the UK.

Andy Hill, Group Chief Executive at The Hill Group comments: “Building vibrant and successful new housing developments is all about creating happy neighbourhoods – something which extends far beyond bricks and mortar. At Hill, we are passionate about fostering lasting connections and celebrating creativity and culture. Our collaboration with Eloisa and the incredible school community at St Richard's Primary has given us a fantastic opportunity to do precisely that. We are honoured to have been a part of a project that will bring joy to local children and enrich their environment.”

The redevelopment of Ham Close is a landmark project, the result of several years' work between RHP, the largest provider of affordable housing in the Borough and Richmond Council, securing a much-needed regeneration of the estate.  Working closely with the local community, the focus has been on creating a sustainable new development that meets current and future local housing needs. The raft of benefits generated by the regeneration of Ham Close also includes a £2m social impact fund, opportunities for apprenticeships and construction jobs for local residents, and a 23% net biodiversity gain for the site.

Katie Collins, RHP's Head of Development said: "A key aim of our Ham Close regeneration is to create a positive and lasting impact on the wider community. We're therefore proud to support this project led by The Hill Group, that fosters creativity and provides a joyful environment for local young people. As a community-connected organisation, we'll continue to maintain our relationship with the school."

For more details on the artist please visit www.eloisahenderson.com or @Eloisa

For further media information contact Viv Onslow at The Oracle Group PR Agency: 020 8394 2821 or viv@oraclepr.co.uk

ENDS

About The Hill Group

The Hill Group is a top 10 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.

In its 26th 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 950 staff, the company operates from six strategically located regional offices including Bristol and Abingdon to help facilitate growth in the South West and the Midlands, with its head office based in Waltham Abbey, Essex. 

Hill completed 2,886 homes in the last financial year and has a controlled development pipeline of over 8,800 homes. 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 title of WhatHouse? Housebuilder of the Year in 2015, 2020 and 2023. Most recently in 2024, Millside Grange in Croxley Green also won The Standard's Homes & Property Award for Best Commuter Home.

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 eight years. Hill is a registered developer with the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) and follows the New Homes Quality Code (NHQC), a new industry standard to ensure high-quality homes and an exceptional customer experience. With a score of 4.8 out of 5, Hill is also ranked as the number one housebuilder on Trustpilot.

Hill 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.

Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram @HillGroupUK

For more information, contact The Oracle Group PR Agency on Tel: 020 8394 2821 or hill@oraclepr.co.uk

*The Hill Group was listed within the top 10 of the Top 150 UK Contractors and Housebuilders published by Building.co.uk in December 2024

For more information, contact The Oracle Group PR Agency on Tel: 020 8394 2821 or hill@oraclepr.co.uk

*The Hill Group was listed within the top 10 of the Top 150 UK Contractors and Housebuilders published by Building.co.uk in December 2024