New residents at David Wilson Homes’ Grange View development in Hugglescote will be learning about the local area’s significant mining history thanks to an artistic pupil at Hugglescote Primary School.
A design competition was organised by the Leicestershire homebuilder to create greetings cards to be distributed to residents at the new community on Grange Road, located close to the school.
The cards were required to feature a drawing of a mining wheel in recognition of the development’s memorial which will feature a mining pulley wheel donated by Leicestershire County Council Museums Service. The memorial will remember the Whitwick Colliery disaster; the county’s first and only mining disaster in which 35 men lost their lives.
A variety of inventive entries were submitted for the competition as the pupils were keen to share their village’s significant mining heritage and the winner was announced as ten-year-old Emilia Knowles, who will have her cards
distributed to the 210 residents moving in at Grange View.
Emilia’s design featured a colourful house with a string of bunting and vibrant sky and clouds, to capture the picturesque location, along the mining wheel taking
pride of place on the card.
Paul Driver, Headteacher at Hugglescote Primary School said: “The children really enjoyed designing their Welcome Home cards for this competition and Emilia was delighted that her design was chosen. We hope the residents enjoy received her wonderful cards and we’d like to thank David Wilson Homes for providing us with this lovely opportunity.”
Leicestershire County Council Museums Service, Hugglescote and Donnington le Heath Parish Council, Whitwick Parish Council, Whitwick Historical Group, Coalville Heritage Society and Snibston Heritage Trust have all worked with David Wilson Homes to provide the mining wheel memorial which will be installed by Spring 2022.
As part of the memorial, the street names at Grange View will also be named after some of the miners who lost their lives.
The disaster happened on the morning of the 19th April 1898 when an underground fire occurred in the workings of Whitwick Colliery which were located under Grange Road in Hugglescote and resulted in the death of 33 men and two boys.
Stuart Warburton, Secretary at Coalville Heritage Society and Snibston Heritage Trust, said: “The partnership between local Parish Councils, heritage groups and David Wilson Homes has been a valuable asset to the local understanding and
appreciation of this historic event in the history of the Leicestershire
coalfield.
David Wilson Homes are to be congratulated for their contribution towards remember those miners through street names, memorials and the engaging with schools to teach children about the significance of the local history.
Emilia’s superb drawing is testimony that commemorating the local mining heritage can cut across the generations”.
Inviting Hugglescote Primary School to take part in the design competition was part of David Wilson Homes’ efforts to provide an educational and fun activity for the pupils whilst also remembering the history of the area with its new residents.
John Reddington, Managing Director at David Wilson Homes East Midlands, said: “It was a difficult task choosing a winner due to the fantastic entries we received and, although Emilia’s artistic design stood out on this occasion, we’d like to thank all of the pupils at Hugglescote Primary School for their excellent
efforts.
“Emilia’s cards will be distributed to all of our Grange View residents as and when they move in and we’re sure they’ll put a smile on many faces.”
For more information about Grange View, call the David Wilson Homes sales team on 033 3355 8483 or visit www.dwh.co.uk/new-homes/leicestershire/h543501-grange-view/.
