Volunteers from gas distribution network SGN have helped Harrietsham Primary School to redevelop their forest school as part of our Community Action Programme.
The 11-strong team of volunteers from our Property department got stuck in digging up areas within the school grounds and using wooden pallets to build three outdoor mud kitchens from scratch. They also built a retaining fence, removed and repositioned a large area of mud and deep tree roots, and filled giant tyres with dug out soil.
The school’s outdoor learning environment is part of a child-centred learning process focusing on play, exploration and supported risk-taking, with problem-solving and self-discovery important features of the forest school. The volunteers’ hard work means the children have a safe and revitalised area to play in.
It was part of our Community Action Programme, where our people are given a day away from their usual work to volunteer with local organisations and charities. This year, hundreds of our colleagues have been out and about volunteering across our Scottish and southern networks. In Harrietsham, our contractors Carrick provided extra tools for the team to use and Total Security Protection (TSP) provided additional resources, as well as donating £400 to the school.
Roxane Negus, Security Manager at SGN, said: “As a parent at Harrietsham Primary School, I know first hand just how much the children value their time in the forest school. It was a busy and tiring day but I know the whole team are really proud of what we achieved together. And a big thank you to TSP and Carrick for their support too.”
Jo-Anne Bradley, Forest School and OPAL Leader at Harrietsham Primary School, said: “I’m incredibly impressed at how much of a difference the team were able to achieve in just one day. The children have been learning a lot while having fun in the revitalised forest school and I can’t thank the volunteers from SGN enough for their hard work in making this happen.”
