NOTTINGHAM CHILDREN ‘HAVE A HAND’ IN THE FUTURE OF THE ISLAND QUARTER

SNEINTON school children have contributed to the history of the city’s largest redevelopment project as their handprints have been made into clay tiles that will be placed at The Island Quarter.

As part of an ongoing relationship with Sneinton St Stephen’s C of E Primary School, Conygar, the developer behind the project, has created two tiles for each child, one that will be kept on-site and the other that has been gifted to the school.

It’s the latest in a series of activities involving the school, after Conygar initially donated £2,500 to buy iPads for students to support their remote learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. The students then got the opportunity to visit the site in May this year when they buried a time capsule near Canal Turn, the first phase of the development and planted wildflower seeds at the development’s 2.5 acre meadow.

Richard Watson, of Conygar, said “It’s an incredibly exciting time for The Island Quarter as we get closer to launching the first phase of the site, Canal Turn, next year and it’s transformative developments like this that will help ensure Nottingham’s continued place on the map.

“The development is going to create a space for these children to live, work and spend time in the years to come, which is why we’re keen to engage with the local community and future generations at an early stage, giving them the opportunity to really feel part of the development – which is something these handprints quite literally do for Sneinton C of E’s children.

“We look forward to being able to welcome them back on-site to place their tiles in the coming months as we continue to build a destination with the local community at its heart.”

Julie Doyle, partnership and enrichment lead at Sneinton C of E Primary School said “The children were delighted to see their finished handprints. It is very fitting that they feel part of the development’s environment, especially as The Island Quarter is on their doorstep.

“They feel incredibly proud to be involved and are so excited to think that the tiles with their hand imprint will be part of the future of The Island Quarter development, while the duplicate tiles presented to us will take pride of place in the school’s community garden.”

The Island Quarter is a landmark scheme in the heart of Nottingham, set to be one of the biggest regeneration projects the country has seen in the past decade. The Island Quarter masterplan, which received outline planning approval in April 2019, has been designed with a full lifecycle of uses - including hotels and hospitality, office space and community living – and green spaces at the heart of the plans.