Amey, who provide highways maintenance services on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council, has helped to transform and renovate a disused stable block that will be used by Girl Guides and local schools in Gloucestershire.
The team of 27 employees worked tirelessly throughout the day to clear overgrown vegetation, uncovering some hitherto hidden steps, as well as giving the three rooms in the stable block a new lease of life with a deep clean and a fresh coat of paint. The team also helped to mend furniture and created a new outdoor campfire area.
The renovated stable area will now be used by the Girl Guides as a kitchen and toilet area for their campsite and will be offered as a space for schools in the county to go out and study biology, ecology and the environment.
Helen Welsh, County Commissioner for Girlguiding Gloucestershire said: “I’d like to thank everyone from Amey who spent the day working hard to help transform the disused stable block at Deer Park in Cowley. We are planning to start up an outdoor activities programme for Gloucestershire schools in the autumn and the old stable is at the heart of our plans.
“It is now a clean and safe place to use and with a few more additions, it should be a brilliant centre to support the Girl Guides and our goal of getting more children into the outdoors and appreciating the environment.
“The campfire is a core part of being outdoors in Guiding and new campfire circle the team created for us using the fallen tree, gives us a brand new space we can use to enjoy the spectacular Cotswold views.”
Ruth Kinsella, Amey’s Account Director for Gloucestershire said: “It’s wonderful to see our employees using their Community Involvement Day to help make a real difference. This was a real team effort and shows what can be achieved with a bit of determination and a lot of hard work. The new lease of life we have helped give to the disused stable will provide real and lasting benefits to the community; we are delighted to have been involved.”
Amey’s Community Involvement Day scheme is a company-wide initiative which entitles all employees one paid day per year to undertake voluntary work on a local community project. The project must be run by a not-for-profit organisation or charity, and must support community, environmental, educational or employment causes. Employees can choose to undertake individual tasks or work with colleagues as part of a group community day.