A group of our volunteers have given a community special school’s overgrown outdoor space a makeover for the new academic year.
Herons Dale Primary School in Shoreham specialises in supporting pupils with a wide range of learning difficulties and associated special needs. Over the last few years the ivy, hedges and bushes have grown larger and needed a good tidy up.
Five of our engineering project managers spent a day volunteering at the school as 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 summer, hundreds of our colleagues have been out and about volunteering across our Scottish and southern networks.
Our volunteers cut back some of the hedges and removed overgrown bushes. Foliage and debris were raked to one side, creating more space for the children to use. A very overgrown patch was dug over to create an area for pupils to dig in for the mud kitchen and splash in on rainy days. A fresh coat of varnish was given to a wooden lodge and the sand and water pit frames.
Steven Adams, Project Manager for Major Works South East – London at SGN, said: “We were lucky to have lovely warm weather for the day and a fantastic team who worked hard to create a better space for the children to enjoy. The school’s staff work tirelessly giving the pupils the best learning experience they can all the while being massively underfunded. It was a fantastic day, especially with the knowledge of how much the children will benefit from the space.”
Tracy Vise, Learning Outside the Classroom Lead at Herons Dale Primary School, said: “The volunteers from SGN have made a huge difference to our Herons Forest outdoor space. What they’ve accomplished in one day would have taken us months to do and will make a huge difference to our children. We have gained back so much ground space through the cutting back and the lodge looks great now it has had its yearly varnish – and a bonus that the water tray and bench also managed to get a varnish too. A massive thank you to the volunteers, we really do appreciate it.”
