Eleven power workers from SSE have been applying some elbow grease to ensure the bamboo supplies for Edinburgh’s Pandas are well stocked.
The big-hearted employees, who are based at the company’s Newbridge office, were tasked with helping remove 60 tonnes of sand from the Zoo’s 100th anniversary sand sculpture to help provide the right growing conditions for a new bamboo nursery.
The staff were able to lend a hand as part of the company’s Community at Heart scheme – which gives staff a day away from their normal work duties to help out in their local community.
Armed with trowel, steel-toed boots and plenty of enthusiasm, SSE’s Natalie Divers explains how the day went: “Being faced with 60 tonnes of sand to shift was certainly a little overwhelming for us all but we were there to do the hard graft and we all really enjoyed it.
“Although it was a little sad to remove what was a lovely sand sculpture, the sand will be used to benefit other areas of the zoo, this includes helping grow plenty of bamboo for the pandas which is sure to keep them happy and well fed.”
Susie Crocker from Edinburgh Zoo added: “We rely on help from volunteers for many projects at the zoo and we were delighted when SSE offered to help us out. It was a job that needed plenty of manpower and the team faced it with lots of fun and enthusiasm.”
Since SSE’s Community at Heart scheme launched in 2009, it has helped over 1500 community groups and charities across Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Activities include everything from dog walking, tree cutting, litter picking, bulb planting to number crunching and book stacking.