Five volunteers from our Remote Networks team went back to where their education began to rejuvenate an outdoor space using recycled materials.
Walking through Stornoway Primary School’s gates felt like stepping back in time for our colleagues, and they said it was incredibly meaningful to repay the place that shaped them by creating a new area for children to learn, play and thrive.
While their day jobs involve ensuring gas is delivered safely and reliably across Stornoway, the volunteers transformed an unused grass area into an outdoor learning environment, complete with seating areas and mud kitchens to help spark imaginative play.
The school’s staff described the project as “transformational” as the space enables pupils to engage in hands-on, experimental and child-led activities. The development provides the children with a safe, stimulating area to explore, supporting their physical and mental wellbeing.
The volunteering effort was part of SGN’s Community Action Programme (CAP). This scheme gives its 4,500 colleagues a day of company time each year to help an organisation or charity of their choice.
This particular CAP project highlights our commitment to both strengthening local communities and delivering support in an environmentally sustainable manner. Materials used to construct the school’s new outdoor space included waste cable drums and reclaimed logs from our sites across the island, as well as wood chippings from a local sawmill.
Our SIU Manager Alisdair Macleod, who attended the school in the 1990s, said: “Returning as a volunteer reminded me how much this place shaped my childhood, so being able to contribute in a meaningful way means a lot.
“This work feels even more purposeful as we transformed waste materials from our sites into something the children can use every day. Donating otherwise discarded materials, and giving them a new lease of life, demonstrates how small, sustainable choices can make a real impact to organisations hampered by funding restraints. I’d like to thank Calmax Construction and the Stornoway Trust Sawmill for helping with materials.”
Stornoway Primary School Deputy Headteacher Karina Mackay said: “This kind of community support makes a huge difference to what we’re able to offer our young learners. We’re incredibly grateful to SGN for gifting their time, skills and resources.”
The new play area is already proving popular with pupils, who wasted no time testing out the mud kitchens, exploring the chipping paths and gathering around their new log seating to learn.
