A team of ten from SSE’s Metering departments took a day out from their normal working lives recently to put finishing touches to a new garden pond and vegetable patch at Cliddesden Road for charity Together UK.
Together is a national charity that works with around 4,000 adults a month who suffer from complex mental health issues to help them build a positive future.
The team at Cliddesden Road had wanted to create a relaxing space in the gardens for residents to enjoy, however the work had ground to a halt some months previously and the job was unfinished. Local SSE volunteers kindly stepped in to help finish off the task through the company’s “Community at Heart” scheme which gives each staff member a day out of the office to help a local group in their area.
Chantelle McSweeney, Compliance & Technical Assurance Manager at SSE and one of the volunteers involved in the project, said:
“The day was a wonderful opportunity for us to really give something back to the community. Volunteers and residents were thrilled to see the gardens transformed throughout the course of the day from an overgrown, neglected space to a calm and peaceful setting with new plants, landscaping and a pond for all to enjoy (including the frogs)!”
Kerri Marshall, a care assistant at Cliddesden Road, said:
“We wanted to provide a peaceful garden which residents can use to relax. Without the help of SSE volunteers if would have taken us months to get the garden into its current state.
“Before SSE came along there was no structure to the garden and was rarely used by residents. It is now becoming a nice place to relax and we are very grateful for their hard work.”
Staff members have already completed over 2,000 Community at Heart days across more than 200 projects since April this year and continue to assist and reach out to local communities across the UK and Ireland.
