Five events took place in the North West, North East and Wales.
- Victoria Park Orchard, Warrington
- Jubilee Nature Reserve, Oldham
- Rosebank Millennium Green, Leeds
- Lansbury Community Allotments, Caerphilly
- St. Paschal Baylon Primary School, Liverpool
The events were organised through the United Futures team (the partnership between United Utilities and Groundwork) and each delivered by Groundwork trusts.
Employees from United Utilities, Environment Agency and Groundwork volunteered their time to take part in an environmental project to make a real difference for the environment and local communities.
The day was a great success, with a little help from the beautiful weather and feedback from the events has been extremely positive. The achievements of the day will make a real difference on all of the sites and act as a great platform for further improvements to be carried out.
Jubilee Nature Reserve, Oldham
Involved a variety of tasks such as bird box building, willow weaving, woodland planting and balsam bashing. Ten UU volunteers and ten Environment Agency volunteers got stuck in working hard at the reserve, which is on the site of a Victorian colliery and still has the remains of it’s heritage visible, such as coke ovens. A great deal was achieved with at least 30 birds having expertly built new homes. The willow weaved coal carts have now been installed in the site and even have tracks made from reclaimed wood. Jubilee is extremely popular for local families who will now enjoy great benefits from the work.
Rosebank Millennium Green, Leeds
Meanwhile volunteers at the ‘Rosebank’ were hard at work carrying out vital tasks involving weeding, planting, removing vandalised trees, clearing footpaths and making it a more useable and enjoyable space for locals. The 18 volunteers were made up of UU employees in our gas business. The site was originally landscaped in 2000 by a group of trustees who visited on the day and were very pleased with the achievements.
Victoria Park Community Orchard, Warrington
In Warrington, 11 United Utilities and 12 Environment Agency employees demonstrated their skills creating a framework of timber and wire supports at the orchard to encourage various fruit trees to thrive. They also put in new benches and carried out landscaping improvements. The long-term aim is to train local community groups and individuals to take over the maintenance and running of the orchard.
St. Paschal Baylon primary school, Liverpool
The Liverpool school benefited from seven UU volunteers engaging with local volunteers and Groundwork staff to construct a seating area especially for children within their playground. Four wooden pergolas were constructed with trellis areas for plants to thrive. The pupils will really benefit from the area as it gives them somewhere to sit during breaks and lunches, adding a dash of colour to a bland playground.
Lansbury Community Allotments, Caerphilly
And finally, in Wales, a unique project linked to Lansbury primary school was carried out transforming a derelict allotment plot into a fully functional space that the pupils can take advantage of for practising their green fingered pursuits. Working alongside the school, the volunteers got creative planting and installing various features. The day was a great success and even included an end of session inspection by the pupils themselves.