Volunteers from across the Cabot Learning Federation have joined forces to transform a tired, neglected play space at the Snowdon Village Nest site into a safe and fun space that children can use to learn and play.
Colleagues from estates teams and professional services worked collaboratively to volunteer their skills, and found themselves carrying out tasks from fixing rotten raised beds to planting up newly painted tyre planters.
The session is expected to be the first of a series of CLF Volunteer Days which invite people to step away from their day job and support an estates-based project in one of the Trust schools.
The group started the day by having a quick health and safety briefing with Leighton Williams, Deputy Estates Manager, before donning supplied personal protective equipment. Each volunteer was then given a task from the schedule; whatever their skillset, there was something for everyone to do.
Digital Content Editor Matt Greatorex was among the volunteers, and his role included grass cutting and planter preparation. “Working in professional services, my role is very desk based, and I often hear people say how difficult it is to see what impact some of our roles have on our young people,” he said.
“After being involved in the volunteering day, I came away with an overwhelming feeling that the hard work and effort we all put in during the day would really make a difference to the young people at the Nest.”
Leighton, who planned the project, added, “I was really pleased with the work the team completed at the Nest. I wanted to try and improve the area, to make it a more enjoyable space for staff and students to use.
“We are looking for more volunteers to help us with future days, and we are also looking for more small projects from any CLF Academies that we can lend our skills to.”
If you have a project that you think the volunteer team can help with, then please get in touch with Leighton Williams via email to discuss email hidden; JavaScript is required
Although the day ended with a bit of drizzle, it was a real success, and the transformation of the play space was great to see.
Hope Allen, Centre Lead for the Nest, said, “Many of our disadvantaged learners have limited access to outdoor spaces. The work that has been carried out by the volunteer team will ensure our children have a safe and inviting outdoor area. It will provide opportunities and learning that lots of our children are not able to experience outside of school.
“I want to say a huge thank you to everyone for all of their time and efforts and a special thank you to Leighton for organising and always being a fantastic advocate of the Nest.”
The Estates teams will be planning more of these volunteer days at other school sites in the coming months.