Hope House School in Newark gifted friendship bench for anti-bullying week Nottinghamshire homebuilder David Wilson Homes

A friendship bench has been donated to a special school in recognition of Anti-Bullying Week.

Nottinghamshire homebuilder, David Wilson Homes, donated a friendship bench to Hope House School in Newark, which educates and supports children of all ages with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other associated conditions.

The independent special education school received the bench which reads: ‘We sit, we chat and ask each other questions. We leave as friends, with all good intentions’.

It will be used by the pupils as a space to sit and talk with their friends.

Taking place earlier in November, Anti-Bullying Week is led by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, which is a coalition of organisations and individuals, with the aim of creating safe environments for children to learn, play and flourish without judgement or scrutiny.

Michelle McRae, headteacher at Hope House School said: “I want to thank David Wilson Homes for the beautiful buddy bench — it looks wonderful in our Early Years area, and it is already a favourite place for pupils and staff to sit and read.

“Our plan is to add colourful sensory planters next to the bench to provide an area of calm and tranquillity.”

Rachael Harrison, sales director at David Wilson Homes East Midlands, said: “At David Wilson Homes, we support Anti-Bullying Week and everything it stands for in terms of promoting positive mental health among school children.

“We hope that Hope House School is able to make great use of the bench for many years to come and that it acts as a landmark for pupils to talk openly with staff and their peers about how they’re feeling.”

The school is located nearby to the David Wilson Homes’ Fernwood Village development in Fernwood.