Schoolchildren went back in time to help celebrate the future with residents in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

A £75,000 regeneration project has given a facelift to areas around the main ‘gateway’ into Chesterton, and pupils from four local schools are dressing-up in Roman costumes to celebrate completion of the work.

Funded by RENEW North Staffordshire and its housing association partner in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Housing Association, the scheme has included environmental improvements at three main sites in the London Road area.

Regeneration work led by RENEW North Staffordshire has seen homes in Chesterton benefit from new doors, windows, boundary walls and other improvements.

The environmental works will further boost the housing market in the area. New railings, a resurfaced pathway and a feature step, along with upgraded disability access, have improved the pedestrian entrance to the Memorial Park.

And Roman-inspired pieces of environmental art feature in improvements at Wetherby Close and the London Road roundabout, near Chesterton High School, in homage to the area’s rich Roman history.

At the entrance to Wetherby Close, the centre piece to an area of block paving has been given a Roman coin effect, while paving on the London Road roundabout has been laid in the shape of a sundial, with Roman lettering.

The package of improvements was designed in consultation with local residents. The art features were co-ordinated and constructed by Project Management, as part of an ongoing employment programme that aims to provide work opportunities for young people in the area.

Councillor Robin Studd, Newcastle Borough Council portfolio holder for regeneration and planning, said: “We have been working together with RENEW on a number of projects that aim to make Chesterton a great place in which to live.

“There has been real community involvement in developing and building these outstanding environmental improvements, and they complement the refurbishment of houses in the London Road area.

“It is important to make sure that any long-lasting environmental improvements highlight the area’s history. Residents have been widely consulted and their views are reflected in the projects’ designs.

“The youngsters have benefited from learning about the history of the area, and visitors will undoubtedly pick-up on the sense of local pride in this particular community.”

The Chesterton area was excavated between 1969 and 1971, and archaeologists found remains of a Roman fort, which may have been occupied during the Flavian period - late 1st to early 2nd century AD.