Nurturing children’s play & sustainability

Through the joy of play and storytelling, Kidstown offered children a ‘space to imagine the world they want to live in’ and ‘shape a better future’. Produced by National Theatre Wales and created artists Nigel Barrett and Louise Mari, with designer Amy Pitt, events were held in Newtown, the National Eisteddfod and Ebbw Vale over the summer holidays.

Edenstone operations director Chris Edge said: “Sponsoring Kidstown was a good fit for our business – we’re building homes and communities for the future and the project encouraged children to imagine the world they want to live in. Hoardings were erected to create a border for Kidstown, complete with passport control. Once inside, children could use recycled materials, including old theatre costumes and props, for their imaginative play.

We’ll be reusing the hoardings from Kidstown at one of our forthcoming housing developments as part of our commitment to sustainability and the environment.”

An old wooden set floor from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Dance was used to provide seating for the project, in line with National Theatre Wales’ commitment to sustainability. Lorne Campbell, Artistic Director, National Theatre Wales said:

“We are so grateful to the Edenstone Group and Aaron and Partners for their support in enabling us to bring joy and creativity to thousands of children and grown-ups in communities across Wales. The feedback we’ve had from all ages has been overwhelmingly positive. Through partnerships like this, we are able to make sustainability the springboard for new ways of imagining, playing and making theatre.”

Edenstone is proud of its sustainability credentials. Having sold its first zero carbon home in 2016, the company aims to deliver 6,000 zero carbon homes by 2030. The homebuilder has adopted a comprehensive construction waste management programme across its business to reduce waste by determining what can be reused, recycled, or needs disposal.