Click here to view our first Cornerstone Newsletter, keeping you up to date with what's happening at our Langley Park development in Maidstone.
We’re proud to leave a lasting legacy in Maidstone
Pupils from Langley Park Primary Academy in Maidstone have been getting green-fingered by planting 200 daffodil bulbs at the school. The bulbs have been donated by our South East team as part of our national Proud campaign to show our commitment and pride in leaving a lasting legacy in the communities in which we build.
The planting took place on Monday 26th November and the bulbs are set to grow into a bright, floral tribute to the local area in the spring. Members of our team also joined the children to lend a helping hand with the planting.
Jason Stokes, Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey South East, said: “We are proud to be creating a new community at Langley Park and we want to leave a place that both our customers and other local residents will enjoy long after we have finished building. We were thrilled to see so many children from the nearby Langley Park Primary Academy get stuck in and help with the planting and we hope that the bulbs will grow into a lovely display for the pupils, staff and visitors to admire each spring time.”
Mrs Fidock, Principal at Langley Park Primary Academy, said: “It’s great to see a company like Taylor Wimpey think about the wider community while it is building in the local area, and leave something beautiful behind that will last for years to come. We all loved getting to work with our trowels and can’t wait to see the results.”
Our Eggstravaganza campaign helped a children’s hospice in Sittingbourne!
We helped Demelza Hospice Care for Children in Sittingbourne to spread a little Easter cheer after donating 78 Easter eggs.
The charity, which has two hospices – Demelza Kent in Sittingbourne and Demelza South East London in Eltham – offers expert one-to-one care to children up to the age of 19.
The donation was all part of our national Eggstravaganza Campaign during which Taylor Wimpey employees donated Easter eggs to charities, homeless shelters and foodbanks across the UK.
Emma Middleton, Head of Events at Demelza Hospice Care for Children, says: “We are very grateful to Taylor Wimpey for this kind donation.
“It was great to be able to provide Easter eggs for the children and families we care for and they really appreciated the gesture.
“We’re tried to collect as many eggs as possible from our supporters for a range of fun Easter activities which took place over the holiday period, and this donation was a fantastic contribution to that.”
Jason Stokes, Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey South East, says: “As a considerate, responsible housebuilder we are committed to supporting the communities in which we build our new homes.
“Demelza Hospice Care for Children does such a vital job within the local area and we were really pleased to be able to support it.
“We hope our Easter gift helped to make everyone receiving care at the hospice, and their families, feel included in the festivities over the holiday weekend.”
Our donation helps hospice charity for children
Demelza Hospice Care for Children has received a donation from us to help provide vital care for seriously ill babies and children.
We have donated £500 to the charity to help fund expert nurses and care assistants who support children with life‑limiting or life‑threatening conditions.
Claire Ellis-Waghorn, Acting Director of Voluntary Income at Demelza, says: “As a charity, and not part of the NHS, we must raise over £10.5 million each year to continue providing care to families living in East Sussex, Kent and South East London.
“Taylor Wimpey’s kind gesture will ensure that Demelza can be there from the start, during day‑to‑day family life, times of crisis, and bereavement – not just for children and their parents, but for the wider family too. Every year we deliver this specialist care to hundreds of babies, children and young people.”
The charity has two hospices – Demelza Kent in Sittingbourne and Demelza SEL in Eltham – where children up to the age of 19 receive expert, one-to-one care. This includes respite and symptom management, as well as life-enhancing therapies and facilities such as a hydrotherapy pool and a soft play room.
In East Sussex, the charity offers a hospice at home service, providing care and support in the comfort of a child’s own home.
Claire adds: “Taylor Wimpey has previously donated some of their showhome furniture to one of our charity shops and approached us to offer further support. We’re extremely grateful as it helps validate the work the hospice does in caring for special children.”
Jason Stokes, Regional Sales and Marketing Director, says: “We’re honoured to be able to help Demelza Hospice Care for Children and support this wonderful charity and the fantastic work it does.
“It’s very important to us that we support the communities where we build our new homes, and helping the hospice to continue providing its services can make a difference to so many local children and their families.”
We teach pupils at Langley Park Primary Academy how to stay safe
We hosted a special talk for pupils of the brand new Langley Park Primary Academy on Monday 12th September.
Pupils at Langley Park Academy enjoyed our visit and learnt about staying safe.
The academy is located within our Langley Park development and we are working with the school to ensure the children are aware of the dangers of the construction site which they will pass each day.
The pupils – from nursery age up to Year 2 – enjoyed the talk by our Regional HSE Advisor Chris Highsted as well as a visit from our mascots Handy Andy and Millie Mortar. Parents were also invited to attend and each of the children received a Taylor Wimpey goody bag.
The pupils found out about the many different dangers that are posed by construction sites and were given the opportunity to get up close to a digger whilst wearing their new high visibility jackets which were provided by us in the goody bags.
Academy Principal Libby Fidock says: “The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the talk and the information given was extremely valuable in highlighting the dangers of building sites. We thank Taylor Wimpey for coming to our school and helping our pupils to understand what those dangers are and of the importance of staying safe.”
Langley Park Primary Academy, which is run by Leigh Academies Trust, will eventually cater for children up to Year 6.
Jason Stokes, Regional Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey, says: “We take our health and safety responsibilities very seriously, both on-site and off it – which is why we organised this talk at Langley Park Primary Academy.
“Youngsters are naturally curious about the things going on around them and building sites can seem like both intriguing and exciting places – so it’s important for them to understand that in reality they are places which can pose serious dangers.
“The pupils really paid attention to the message of the talk and we hope it will help them to stay safe in the future.”
Adrian and Diane upgrade to a brand new home at Langley Park
When Adrian and Diane Rose were looking to move, they didn’t want to venture too far from their hometown of Maidstone, Kent, but discovered that a brand new property at Langley Park offered them everything they wanted – and on the right side of town!
Adrian and Diane at Langley Park, pictured here with our Sales Executive Linda.
In December last year the couple relocated from a four-bedroom townhouse they owned in Maidstone to a four-bedroom detached ‘Kingswood’ housetype at our development after deciding to start afresh in a brand new property.
“Our previous property was 12 years old, so we decided we wanted to buy a new-build because it’s a blank canvas and we can put our own stamp on it,” explains Adrian.
“Even though we previously lived in a four-bedroom house we were looking for somewhere that’s a bit more spacious, so trading up to the ‘Kingswood’ was perfect.
“We chose this house because we wanted something detached with enough garden space for our two dachshunds Candy and Digby – it ticked all of the boxes for us!
“We’re now living in the right part of the town as we’re a lot closer to my business ADSN Solutions, so it’s reduced my commute from around 45 minutes to about three minutes! It’s also ideal for Diane as she’s the company secretary, so it’s easy for us both to get to work.
“We looked at another Taylor Wimpey development in Staplehurst but it was a bit too far out for us, so when they started building Langley Park we were very interested and reserved our plot in June last year.”
The couple were able to make a hassle-free move thanks to our excellent customer service.
“There were no hiccups with our purchase and the Taylor Wimpey staff were really helpful,” continues Adrian. “They were all very professional and happy to help. If there have been any problems then the team has been really efficient at sorting it – it’s been a really good home buying experience.”
Adrian and Diane used the Part Exchange initiative to buy their new home, which sees customers receive an agreed offer price for their existing property based on the average of independent professional valuations.
With us as their cash buyer and no danger of the property chain collapsing, Part Exchange purchasers are free to sit back and relax until their brand new home is ready to move into.
“Using the Part Exchange scheme went really smoothly and it enabled us to stay in our old property until we could move into our new place,” adds Adrian.
“We’re really enjoying living here – Langley Park boasts a really nice location in the country which means we have really nice views and places to walk while there’s everything you need in the town centre. The M20 runs adjacent to Maidstone so there are good road links as well.”
Launch events held for the new primary school at Langley Park
We have recently hosted a series of launch events for the new Langley Park Primary Academy to help inform prospective parents.
We have provided the land for the new school which will initially cater for nursery, reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children. It will eventually cater for children up to Year 6.
Our Sales Executives Gill Pettie (left) and Rhianna Austin helped out during the launch events for the Langley Park Primary Academy
Prospective parents were able to meet representatives from Leigh Academies Trust, which will run the new school and already runs other schools in the area.
They were also able to see the plans and designs for the new school building, find out about the curriculum and the extended hours provision, including breakfast and after-school clubs, and talk through the admissions process.
Jason Stokes, Regional Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey South East, says: “We were delighted to be able to support the new Langley Park Primary Academy in providing information for prospective parents about this exciting new school.
“As a local housebuilder we are committed to helping the communities in which we build our new homes and we look forward to developing a long and successful partnership with the school.”
Stuart Reeves, Executive Director, Leigh Academies Trust, adds: “We are delighted that Kent County Council and the Department for Education have chosen Leigh Academies Trust to run this Academy. The Trust has a proven track record in delivering excellent outcomes for young people and is committed to improving the life chances of its pupils. We look forward to welcoming our first cohort of pupils and parents.”
Prospective parents can find out more by visiting the school’s website at www.langleyparkprimaryacademy.org.uk, while applications for the school can be made through Kent County Council at www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places.
Slap band donation reflects our support for Walk to School Campaign
We are helping to shine a light on the importance of leaving the car at home and walking to school this autumn by supporting Walk to School Month. This takes place every October and encourages parents to walk their children to school instead of travelling by car.
Pupils at The Holy Family Catholic Primary school with our Sales Executive Rhianna
We are working in partnership with schools to support the initiative by supplying pupils with high-visibility slap bands to wear during the darker autumn and winter months.
The aim of the campaign is to promote healthy lifestyles – especially in the light of growing concern about levels of childhood obesity and fitness – and reduce the number of vehicles on the roads.
We have provided 100 slap bands to encourage pupils at The Holy Family Catholic Primary School in Maidstone to walk to school – and help keep them safe on the journey. It is part of a campaign that will see more than 12,000 slap bands provided to children across the country.
Jason Stokes, Regional Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey South East says: “We are committed to supporting the communities in which we build our high-quality new homes, which is why we are working in partnership with The Holy Family Catholic Primary School as part of Walk to School Month.
“We understand that family life can be busy, but walking to school is one of the easiest ways for children to increase their level of physical activity and get fit. We hope our contribution will help inspire families to swap the car for a safe walk to school instead.”
Mrs Wajs, Headteacher at The Holy Family Catholic Primary School, says: “We encourage the children to walk to school to promote a healthier lifestyle and to reduce traffic outside the school. We are very grateful to Taylor Wimpey for this generous donation which will help raise the profile of Walk to School Month among pupils and parents alike.”
Walk to School Month is an annual nationwide campaign that promotes the benefits of walking to school, which results in healthier young people and less traffic on the roads.