Pupils from a North Cardiff primary school have enjoyed a unique opportunity to visit the demolition site at the former HMRC office building at Tŷ Glas in Llanishen.
Equipped with child-size hard hats and hi-viz vests, around 120 children from Coed Glas Primary School in Llanishen visited the site, including pupils from reception, year five classes and the school's deaf and hearing loss resource base.
Hosted by Erith, the demolition contractor, the children were escorted to a safe zone where they were given the opportunity to sit in the cab of a tipper truck and learn about the safety aspects of the vehicles.
They also watched the high reach demolition process of Gleider House from a safe area and were able to ask questions before being given a goodie bag.
When asked what they thought of the visit, reception pupils Jude and Theo exclaimed; "Its super-duper."
Headteacher, Sophie Notley, said: "The children have been fascinated with the demolition site and they loved their visit. One parent commented that it was her son's favourite trip so far! Having local and relevant experiences for the children is really important. We are very grateful to Erith for the generous donation of Chromebooks which have made a real difference to the children in their classrooms."
Erith's senior contracts manager, Scott Lardner, commented: "It was a pleasure having the children visit the site and engage in our industry as much as they did. The questions raised by the children were significant to changing times that we encounter, such as sustainability and recycling / reuse on demolition projects and the technologies available to us to carry out projects such as Ty Glas. It is encouraging to see an appetite for our industry from the next generation of construction workers."
The council acquired the Tŷ Glas site in October 2021 to provide a clear site to bring forward strategic education proposals. And work began on the demolition in June 2023.
There are currently no specific plans for the site, and any future proposals would be subject to community engagement as well as consultation through the planning process.
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