» Tachbrook Park, Warwickshire
A team from Tachbrook Park went all ‘Changing Rooms’ during the week commencing 20 July and helped to redecorate the library at St Peter’s Primary School in Leamington Spa – adding a bit of sunshine to the room with a coat of yellow paint on the walls as well as sprucing up the woodwork.
With this work completed, the school was then able to petition the school governors to get the flooring done too, so needless to say they are all very grateful. Furthermore, once the renovation has been completed, the contents of the library will be sorted out, with new books to be added to the collection.
Volunteer Susann Gallion, Admin Assistant at Tachbrook Park, commented: “We’re sure that our efforts, combined with the new flooring and books, will be bound to get the children back into the library and spending time in what is now a really welcoming environment. All in all it was a very successful project and we all really enjoyed getting involved.”
» Elland, West Yorkshire
A team made up of Elland Calor Operations Centre staff and CalorForce representatives joined together on Thursday 9 July to support a project at Longroyde Junior School in Rastrick. With all hands on deck throughout the day, a room was painted, borders were weeded and cleared and stones were inlaid into a lawned play area.
The stones, which were recycled from some building work being carried out at the school, were engraved with the statement: "Laughter is the music of the soul".
Customer Service Team Leader, Joanne Routledge, commented: “The headmaster of the school was delighted with the team’s efforts and really appreciated the commitment being shown to the local community. Some of the pupils at the school are the children of the team here at Elland so this really was a win-win project and particularly rewarding for all involved.
“A big thank you must also go to the chaps who stayed on site to man the phones and deal with customers – the project wouldn’t have been possible without their support.”
» Coryton, Essex
Hardworking staff at Coryton Customer Operations Centre carried out their Community Action project at Corringham Primary School between 7 and 9 July. The three fun-filled days were spent clearing an overgrown area – which included resizing and building a new pond, clearing and creating a path through a wooded sensory area, and building three raised vegetable beds.
Thanks to the efforts of the team at Coryton, pupils can now make full use of this outside area as well as grow their own vegetables.
Some of the materials and plants were donated by parents of pupils and a number of local garden centres, and even the local Fire Brigade got involved; kindly filling the pond once it had been built (following a visit from Coryton’s persuasive Customer Services ladies!)
» Port Clarence, Middlesborough
A team from Port Clarence Customer Operations Centre helped to clear up a notorious fly-tipping spot as their Community Action Month project. The team helped to remove over 100 tonnes of illegally dumped waste from the area, working in conjunction with local residents, Cleveland Police and Fire Brigade and enforcement teams from the Environment Agency and Stockton Council.
Since the clear up – which saw the removal of items including asbestos, sofas, cable, pipes, fridges, tyres and construction waste and achieved some great local media coverage – there has been a phenomenal improvement in the area, with a massive drop in the number of fly-tipping incidents reported.
Distribution Manager, Mike Lawson commented: “The value of this project to the local community is immense and we were more than happy to dedicate some of our time to helping to bring it to fruition. Not only are we close to the area geographically, but we are keen to highlight our dedication to the community – this is something that we will continue to be involved in over the coming months.”
» Saxham, Suffolk
A team from Saxham went along to Risby Primary School for their Community Action day on Thursday 6 August this year. The school is local to the site and was in need of some TLC, so the day was spent painting the school hall and lobby in preparation for the new term.
Sarah Faith, Admin Assistant, commented: “We really enjoyed our day at the school and it was great to have the opportunity to make a real difference for when the children go back after the summer holidays. Being able to support a local project in this way has been both a pleasure and a privilege.”
