For the love of bricks - April 11

For many people today, the dream home is "period". And for many of the many, that "period" is Victorian. But, for homeowners of the future in Cleckheaton, who have been comparing the differences between Victorian housing and modern houses built today - a recent visit to Portford Homes' Spenmill Grange development, suggested modern wins hands down!

After a visit to Red House Museum, where the class of five and six-year-olds from Moorend Primary School studied Victorian housing, the children got to visit Portford Homes' new development on Whitechapel Road - which can be seen from the school's playground - to see first hand what goes into building a new house.

And in order to bring the experience to life, Portford Homes 'staged' a mini building site where the children had a go at laying bricks, painting walls and carpentry work - all of which are important skills for building a new house.

Andy Sanderson, Production Director at Portford Homes was on hand with site manager Paul Brook to oversee the site visit. He said: "We strive to incorporate a sense of community into every development we regenerate and build. It's excellent that we could involve the children of Moorend Primary School and to educate them about construction and at the same time give them an important lesson in site safety."

"Who knows, by introducing young children to construction in a fun and exciting way it may spark their interest to pursue one of the varied careers available within the industry. These could be the brickies, plumbers or architects of the future!"

Karen Webster, Teacher at Moorend Primary School said: "We were thrilled to receive the invitation from Portford Homes. The activity was most beneficial to the children, as it not only gave them a real insight into how a new house is built but also a fun comparison to what they have been learning about in the classroom."

Portford Homes is currently offering a choice of new homes at Spenmill Grange in Cleckheaton with starting prices from £120,000. A show home is available to view and potential buyers are being encouraged to take advantage of Portford Homes' range of easy moving incentives which include cash discounts or mortgage paid for six months, 5% deposit paid or part exchange.