CHILDREN at a Hingham playgroup had the chance to get up close and personal with a JCB digger when it paid them a visit at the village hall.The 20 children of Hingham Playgroup had a close look at the bright yellow monster as part of an initiative by a local house builder to introduce children to construction - and teach them about the hazards of building sites.

CHILDREN at a Hingham playgroup had the chance to get up close and personal with a JCB digger when it paid them a visit at the village hall.

The 20 children of Hingham Playgroup had a close look at the bright yellow monster as part of an initiative by a local house builder to introduce children to construction - and teach them about the hazards of building sites.

The digger was visiting the playgroup from nearby Bell Meadow, where Norfolk house builder Abel Homes is building 34 new family homes.

Site manager Tim Walsing-ham, who is writing an online blog about progress at the site, accompanied the JCB to the playgroup, and took hard hats and high visibility vests for all the children as part of the health and safety message.

“Many children are fascinated by diggers, and so the chance to see one close-up was very exciting for them,” said Mr Walsingham. “But alongside the fun, we are trying to get a serious message across about the dangerous nature of construction sites.

“We hope that by engaging with the children we can satisfy their curiosity and teach them a little about building houses. Being a locally-based builder, we take our responsibility to the communities in which we live and work very seriously.”

The Bell Meadow site in Hingham is the first where Abel Homes has implemented its Good Neighbour Charter, which aims to minimise the impact of construction on people living nearby and provide a two-way communication so that any concerns can be addressed.

The site manager's blog can be found at http://www.abelhomes.co.uk/hingham/default.asp