The competition allows contractors to educate children about construction site safety and create a positive legacy for them to aspire to. As an introduction to the competition VolkerFitzpatrick's health and safety manager, Jeremy Williams, gave a group of Oriel High School pupils a talk about construction site safety and staying safe around railways.
 
The hoarding was designed and completed by the 120 students who took part during art classes and extra-curricular workshops. During mind mapping sessions, the students came up with the theme of ‘transport', and in small groups students discussed how to incorporate as many different modes of transport as possible. The local area to the schools includes the M23, two train stations, Gatwick airport and is the location for the new train care depot currently being built by VolkerFitzpatrick, so ‘transport' was the ideal theme.
 
Andy Gibbons, VolkerFitzpatrick senior project manager, said: "I was delighted to take part in the unveiling of the hoarding, especially as the students from Oriel High School and Maidenbower Junior School did such a fantastic job.

"Ivor Goodsite is a very positive figure promoting the UK construction industry to a young audience, and this is a great opportunity for our team to work together with our surrounding community, and actively involve the young people who may be affected by our works."

Katie Jordan, community and school development coordinator at Oriel High School, said: "Students enjoyed seeing the project develop over the weeks during their lessons from the careful planning and design sessions to getting creative and working on the large scale mural.
 
"We have had some great feedback from parents and members of the community who are really pleased the artwork will have a permanent place within the tunnel.

"Oriel High School students were given a talk by Jeremy Williams, VolkerFitzpatrick's health and safety manager about construction and rail site safety which really emphasised the need to stay safe and away from construction sites, this has led to a partnership with VolkerFitzpatrick which has resulted in a planned tour of one of the local construction sites during the summer term next year."

All proceeds from the award entries will be donated to the Safe Network, a charity providing safeguarding information related to children's activities outside the home. It is jointly managed by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), Children of England and the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT).