Boy, 2, digs path to career in housebuilding

A two-year-old boy from Runcorn who loves to watch the construction machinery in action at a Barratt Homes’ development in the town, has been given the chance to experience life working on site for an afternoon.

Ernie Donnelly, who lives at the Bridgewater Mews development, watches Bob the Builder every day and hopes to be a builder himself when he grows up.

With a special interest in diggers, Ernie loves to watch the construction vehicles in action with his parents, Michael and Charlotte Donnelly. Having always wanted to drive a digger himself, Ernie was invited to visit the construction part of the site, where he met with Site Manager Stephen Parkinson and became the youngest member of the ‘site team’ for the afternoon. He was even allowed to sit in one of the diggers that operates onsite, after the Site Manager had it driven up to the marketing suite especially for him.

Steve Jackson, Sales Director at Barratt Homes North West, said: “Here at Barratt Homes we are not only committed to building quality homes, but to supporting the local community in and around where we build.

“When we heard about one of our youngest residents being so inspired by the construction process, we knew we wanted to do something special for him and give him a gift that would really help him to feel like part of the team.

“We are always encouraging youngsters to consider a career in construction and we are delighted that Ernie is showing an interest already.”

Charlotte said, “Ernie loved his afternoon on the diggers! After watching them on the site constantly it really made his day to have a go!”