Pontllanfraith school children have artwork displayed at upcoming Lovell Homes development

Chartist Garden Village is a design and build scheme being delivered by Lovell for Pobl Group and Caerphilly County Borough Council, on the former council office site. The development will consist of 123 open market homes and affordable homes for rent and shared ownership.

School children from Penllwyn Primary School and Pontllanfraith Primary School were invited by Lovell and Pobl to submit their drawings on the topic of the Chartist art movement as part of an art competition, and be in with a chance of having their artwork displayed on the development’s hoarding.   

The 21 winning children, including 12 pupils from Pontllanfraith Primary School and nine from Penllwyn Primary School, have now visited Chartist Garden Village to admire their designs, and each receive a £10 book voucher as a prize.  

Emma Jones, Headteacher at Penllwyn Primary School, said: “This was a wonderful opportunity, the children really embraced finding out about their heritage. The children were able to showcase their creative skills, we are thrilled to have played such an active role within the community.”  

Emily Wills, Key Stage 2 Leader at Pontllanfraith Primary School, said: “The children have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Chartists. It was a brilliant and engaging topic that allowed the children to enquire about their heritage. The children have regularly talked about how much they enjoyed the topic and they will often talk about the impact Chartism had on their local area. 

“It has been a lovely opportunity for the children and they embraced the competition with enthusiasm and enjoyment. It was pleasing to see the children develop confidence when completing art work.”   

Gemma Clissett, regional partnerships director at Lovell, said: “We were delighted to run this art competition with Penllwyn Primary School and Pontllanfraith Primary School. We received some brilliant entries, and would like to thank all the children for their wonderful drawings. A huge congratulations go to the winning pupils, and we hope they enjoyed seeing their artwork printed on such a large scale. 

“At Lovell, it’s very important to us to engage and collaborate with the local communities amongst which we build. We strive to leave a lasting legacy behind, and look forward to continuing our partnership with these schools as Chartist Garden Village progresses.”

Ellis Cunliffe, Senior Project Manager at Pobl Group said: “It’s been wonderful to see the talent and creativity of the pupils of Penllwyn Primary School and Pontllanfraith Primary School, and their work has really brightened up the hoardings at Chartist Garden Village.

“On behalf of Pobl Group, I would like to thank everyone who entered the competition, and I hope that the local community enjoys seeing their artwork up on display as we move forwards with this exciting development.”