School helps celebrate unveiling of new Maidenhead Blue Plaque

To celebrate a slice of Maidenhead's history, Shanly Homes has unveiled a plaque to acknowledge the second in a series of public art, known as the 'Maidenhead Memories Sculpture Series'.  The plaque records the history of a new piece of art depicting a toucan, mounted on the wall at the housebuilders latest scheme, Waterside Quarter on the High Street.  The plaque is sited by the toucan, which pays tribute to the famous English actress Diana Dors, who opened the popular Le Tucan café at this location in 1955.   

 As part of the celebration, Shanly Homes sponsored a competition with local school, Highfield Preparatory School, inviting students in Year 5 to write a story on 'How the Toucan landed in Maidenhead', tying in with their studies of Rudyard Kipling's famous 'Just so' stories.

 The winners of the competition were Addyson Tyler-Hawtree, who won the prize for 'Most Inventive Story' and Amelie Moorhouse was awarded for 'Most Beautifully Illustrated'.  Shanly Homes' Thames Valley Sales and Marketing Director, Vasos Ptohopoulos welcomed the children and the Head of English, Sarah Wallace to Waterside Quarter before Addyson and Amelie had the honour of unveiling the plaque.

 Vasos Ptohopoulos,comments: "It has been a great pleasure to unveil our blue plaque for the toucan sculpture today, alongside the winners of our toucan story competition from Highfield Preparatory School.  A huge thank you to all the pupils from Year 5 and the staff for getting involved and helping us mark the occasion so poignantly.  It is clear that there are some very creative children who should all be very proud of themselves."

 Sarah Wallace, Head of English at Highfield Prep School, said: "We have been delighted by the enthusiasm, creativity and outstanding achievement of our Year 5 pupils participating in this competition. The students thoroughly enjoyed the challenge, which paid homage to the history of Diana Dors working in Maidenhead and tied in beautifully with our studies of Rudyard Kipling. I would like to thank Shanly Homes for organising this competition and for giving our students the opportunity to be involved."

 Due to COVID-19 restrictions, father and son artists, George and Brian Fell, who designed and created the stunning toucan sculpture were unable to attend the unveiling.   George commented: "This has been a really interesting project to work on and we hope many generations of residents in Maidenhead will enjoy seeing the toucan perched up on the wall at Waterside Quarter."

 Waterside Quarter by Shanly Homes is a collection of contemporary one, two and three-bedroom apartments.  Situated within a newly emerging restaurant, retail and leisure quarter, with excellent connections to the city and easy access to some of Berkshire's best beauty spots, Waterside Quarter offers cosmopolitan style and waterside tranquility.

Each new apartment has been designed to maximise space and light with open-plan interiors that effortlessly fit modern-day lifestyles. Many homes feature a private terrace and residents also have access to private and secure underground gated parking.

Available with Help to Buy, apartments are available from £320,000 for a one-bedroom apartment, and £350,000 for a two-bedroom apartment. Please visit www.shanlyhomes.com  or call 01628 671331.