CHILDREN from a Woodley school have put their imaginations to good use to decorate the hoardings of a construction site.

Pupils from Highwood primary School, in Fairwater Drive, created works of art to decorate the boards around the Bulmershe Leisure Centre site as demolition of the old centre takes place.

The children drew pictures of diggers, cement mixers and futuristic machinery to liven up the hoardings in Woodlands Avenue as part of a competition run by construction firm J Mould Reading.

Demolition of the old centre has been timed to coincide with the summer holidays to ensure it is down before the start of autumn term to avoid disrupting neighbouring schools and community groups.

As the children from Highwood school had used the facility for many years, they were invited to take part in the competition to decorate the hoardings, focusing on the theme of health and safety on the building site.

Twenty-six entries were received, with winning entries chosen out of three categories: best picture, most imaginative and most futuristic. The winners received toy store vouchers of £50, £30 and £20 each, and all of the entries are now displayed on the hoardings.

Richard Harris, demolition manager at J Mould Reading said: "As the competition ran just before the summer holidays we thought it would be a nice way for them to end the term.

“Plus it must be exciting for them looking forward to having a new centre right on their doorstep.

“Our office staff enjoyed viewing all the entries. The pupils were also treated to a visit to the site to see how the demolition is going, which was a perfect end to a perfect event.”

Deputy Wokingham Borough Mayor, Cllr Bill Soane said: "I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the pupils and seeing their super creativity on show. We all also enjoyed seeing how the old centre is being taken down.”