Barratt Homes launches interior design competition with Doncaster primary school

Year six pupils aged 10 and 11 from the school, which is located close to the housebuilder’s Kings Lodge development on Doncaster Road, were asked to create a children’s bedroom design based on the favourite book that they’d read during lockdown.

During the pandemic, reading has played an integral part in children’s mental wellbeing. Research by National Literacy Trust1 found that 59.3 per cent of children and young people stated that reading during lockdown has made them feel better, with 31.6 per cent saying that reading helps when they’ve felt sad from not being able to see loved ones.

The drawings sent in by the children captured various wonderfully drawn bedrooms based on favourite books, but the chosen winner, judged by the Barratt Homes team was a wonderful design of a Harry Potter themed bedroom, with features including a Hermione Granger poster and coloured curtains and cabinets in the Harry Potter colour scheme, by Grace Omar, aged 11, winning a £50 Amazon voucher.

The interior design team at Kings Lodge will now get to work with bringing Grace’s drawing to life before the new show home opens for appointment-only viewings in July.

In second place, winning a £30 voucher was Harvie Glidden, aged 11, with a drawing of a Marvel themed bedroom including characters such as Iron Man and Thor. With Summer Shaw, aged 10, and her creative and colourful image of a bedroom with The Jungle Book as the main theme, coming in third and winning a £20 voucher.

David Longley, Head of Academy at Crookesbroom Primary Academy, said: “We’re extremely grateful to Barratt Homes Yorkshire East for giving our pupils the opportunity to take part in such a fun and creative activity. Everyone loved taking part in this activity and were really excited at being given the chance to have their vision for a new bedroom to be brought to life. It’ll be great to see the show home design come to life with the general theme of Grace’s design.”

Hayley Mitchell, Sales Manager at Barratt Homes’ nearby Kings Lodge development, added: “Barratt Homes Yorkshire East is keen to support the local community wherever possible, and we’ve really enjoyed teaming up with a local school and bringing their thoughts and creations to life in our show home. Once the room is complete, we’d love to bring the children on site to see the chosen room based on the chosen favourite book.

“We’re also keen on encouraging children to carry on reading as it’s incredibly important, especially during the difficulties that the pandemic has brought. We should all take time out of our day to read to help our mental wellbeing and learning.”

With a stylish collection of two, three and four bedroom homes on the edge of the popular village of Hatfield, Kings Lodge is designed for modern living. Being walking distance from the independent shops, cafes and pubs of the quaint village centre and just 15 minutes’ drive from all that Doncaster has to offer, Kings Lodge is perfectly suited for families and working professionals.

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