• Swindon & Wiltshire Social
• Wednesday September 3 2025

Housing developer backs major community event in Chippenham

The developer behind Chippenham’s Oak Hill Rise site has once again given its backing to a major event in the town.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, Persimmon Homes Wessex has donated £3,000 to the Teen Takeover 2025 as part of the housebuilder’s Community Champions scheme.

The event, due to take place on October 18 and 19, will see the Local Youth Network and Chippenham Area Board bring back this exciting weekend for young people aged 11 to 19.

Last year, more than 400 young people took part in a range of free events, activities, and workshops in Chippenham as part of a pilot programme to showcase the current youth provision that is available in the area and engage more young people within the community.

Young people were invited to take part in a variety of activities and workshops across the town, such as hip-hop poetry photography, youth democracy, martial arts, climbing, mindfulness, music, street dance and stand-up comedy. Participants were also offered a free lunch, provided by Sheldon Road Methodist Church and Chippenham Sports Club.

More than 30 organisations were involved across the weekend including Chippenham Youth Theatre, Rag and Bone Arts CIC, Bargammon’s Tavern Board Game Café, Riverbank Studios, The Rise Trust, and the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre.

The accredited five-star housebuilder’s Wessex business has two and three-bed homes are available from £289,995 at Oak Hill Rise in Chippenham, which will have 95 high-quality homes once complete, all of which will be equipped with air source heat pumps, solar panels, and electric vehicle charging points on this no-gas site.

Benefits of the plans include publicly accessible green space, on-site biodiversity enhancement measures such as bird and bat boxes, a new pedestrian and cycle connection, and over £1m for upgrading local services and facilities including schools, sports pitches, and play areas.

Persimmon’s Community Champions programme sees £700,000 go to good causes and much-valued organisations across Britain each year. Recent local recipients include Doorway Wiltshire, Julia’s House Children’s Hospice, and Trowbridge RFC.

Persimmon Homes Wessex sales director Pauline Fletcher said: “The first Chippenham Teen Takeover was a great success that we were proud to have supported last year, so it was an easy decision to do so again as it returns.

“Persimmon is bringing 95 new homes to the town at Oak Hill Rise as we aim to improve the number of homes available for local people in Chippenham, many of whom I hope will go on to make the most of the Teen Takeover in years to come.

“We congratulate those who brought the Teen Takeover to Chippenham and wish them the best of luck for this October.”

Cllr Liz Alstrom, Wiltshire Council’s portfolio holder for arts and culture, chair of Chippenham Area Board, chair of the Local Youth Network, and councillor for Chippenham Hardens & Central added: “I am thrilled that Persimmon has renewed its support with the Teen Takeover in Chippenham, after helping us make such a success of the pilot event last year.

“The Teen Takeover is important for our community offering young people meaningful opportunities to engage with local businesses and organisations and with each other, all while having a massive amount of fun.

“I am delighted that the model has proven popular, to the extent it is being adopted by other area boards in Wiltshire as a means to strengthen their communities too.”

Cllr Ross Henning, councillor for Chippenham Lowden & Rowden, said: “We’re looking forward to bringing the Teen Takeover back to Chippenham in October, and are grateful to Persimmon for once again giving their support for the scheme.

“The Takeover is a huge undertaking with many moving parts and requires a large, committed network in both the public and private sectors to make it work, and I want to thank all those who took part previously and are doing so again this year.”