Gorse Ride pupils sing with pride for their community

Schoolchildren have voiced their pride for their local community as part of an event to celebrate young people in the community in the regeneration of Gorse Ride in Finchampstead.

Pupils from Gorse Ride Junior School delivered a brilliant performance at California Ratepayers Hall on Tuesday 14 May, singing a song they wrote with a musician that was inspired by the memories of people living in the regeneration area to recognise the importance of the area’s history and local stories during a time of significant change.

The Gorse Ride regeneration is one of Wokingham Borough Council’s flagship housing projects and will see 249 new modern homes built – the majority of which will be affordable – to meet growing, local demand.

About 60 children performed the song, which is called ‘The Rise’ and is a celebration of the area’s past and aspirations for the future.

The chorus of the song goes:

Gorse Ride riding

Into the future, we are striding

Gorse Ride riding, yeah

Gorse Rise riding

Standing proud and never hiding

Gorse Ride rising, yeah

In the other part of the event, four young people aged 16 to 19 graduated from the Jump into Work initiative. Hosted by Wates in partnership with Ixion, this involved experience of the construction sector, with one day on site per week and classroom teaching to achieve a Construction Skills Certification Scheme card.

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The event was attended by Cllr Beth Rowland, the Mayor of Wokingham Borough, along with council leader, Cllr Stephen Conway. There were also representatives from Wates, the construction contractor, and members of the Gorse Ride community.

Cllr Rowland said: “The passion and enthusiasm that came across from the pupils was incredible. A lot of hard work went into preparing the song, which perfectly encapsulates the lives and memories of residents. It was a privilege to watch the performance and a great example of community spirit.

“The song has been learned by the whole school and so when the Year 6 pupils leave, the younger children will be able to keep this great song alive in the school and the local community.”

Cllr Conway, who is also the executive member for housing, said: “Days like today demonstrate why Gorse Ride is a special place to live and why we are thrilled to be delivering more high-quality homes in this area. There is a huge demand for affordable housing of a good quality, but the regeneration is also giving huge consideration to the need for development that is environmentally sustainable.”

The Gorse Ride regeneration will take place in phases. The current phase (2a) involves work in the old Firs Close, Dart Close and part of Billing Avenue. Future phases (2b and 2c) include Orbit Close, Whittle Close, part of Gorse Ride South and the remainder of Billing Avenue.

Children from Gorse Ride Junior School have also helped to pick new road names as part of the regeneration. A community panel shortlisted ideas and flowers, which had been put forward by pupils in Year 6, emerged as the most popular choice. The new road names are Primrose Crescent, Sunflower Way and Daffodil Drive.

Steve Bowers, chair of the Gorse Ride Steering Group, said: “I have lived in Finchampstead for more than 50 years and been rehoused as part of the regeneration, so I was keen to take the opportunity to be involved in a project that captured the memories of local people and share them with, who are the next generation. The song was very uplifting, with a great message that there are so many stories of people’s lives in the past and now new homes and a new community rising up in Gorse Ride.”

The new homes have been designed to be energy efficient, with high levels of insulation and low carbon innovations, such as air source heat pumps to help reduce emissions and make them more affordable to heat.

The phased regeneration will take place over many years, transforming the community into a place local people can continue to be proud of. The council will continue to work closely with the local community throughout the second phase to ensure people are relocated and new properties are delivered with as little disruption as possible.