Talent teams in charity drive

An 11-strong team of future leaders carried out three volunteer projects over the summer as part of their development training.

The first was to install a 3.5-metre-tall garden kitchen area for the charity Jamie’s Farm, which helps disadvantaged youngsters. Senior finance manager Pete Jones said they only had a photo of the oak structure to go on. “We are not into DIY, but were determined to get it done so there was a lot of trial and error,” he said. “We really worked well together over the week to achieve it.”

While the all-weather shelter was the main focus, the project was extended to include other improvements to the site in Rowlestone, Herefordshire which involved donations of asphalt, aggregate and concrete. “We also provided a surfacing gang to lay the asphalt as well as safety clothing and footwear,” said Pete.

The group also provided improved parking, drainage and wheelchair access at Wyville village hall in Lincolnshire, which is used by the Grantham Additional Needs Fellowship’s Forest School to teach young people with profound and multiple learning difficulties, and worked with the Construction Youth Trust to try to attract more young people into the industry.