Avove and Severn Trent donate £6,000 to local school as part of its community initiative
As a business, we are passionate about supporting communities in which our teams actively work and live. Once again, this commitment was on full display as we collaborated with Severn Trent to support Ferncumbe C of E Primary School in Hatton, delivering essential works and providing a sizable donation to help enhance the school’s facilities.
Establishing strong community bonds
After organising a site visit to determine the project’s priorities, our colleagues who have been working on Severn Trent’s Hatton scheme, rolled up their sleeves and spent a full day revitalising the school gardens, which had fallen into disrepair. Given the garden’s importance as a place of relaxation and learning, the team wasted no time in bringing the garden to life, replacing many of the old flowerbeds with vibrant alternatives.
Throughout the day, colleagues weeded the entire garden to remove plant overgrowth, trimming hedges and removing ivy from the surrounding fencing to restore the area’s beauty ahead of a new school year. Finally, they laid wood chippings across the garden, protecting many of the site’s apple trees that had been impacted by weeds.
One of our colleagues also built a planter and potting table using recycled wood left from pipe and fittings deliveries made to the Hatton compound, a touching gesture that further demonstrated the strong community bonds that were established throughout the day.
In addition to this, both Avove and Severn Trent donated £6,000 to the school – money that will be used to replace the roof on its outdoors forestry classroom. During winter months, the older roof had started to leak, and so pupils presented handmade cards to our volunteers, thanking them for their kind contribution.
The community initiative follows our installation of a 10km pipeline from water mains near Rising Lane to Hatton Water Treatment Works, a project that will improve the water supply to thousands of Severn Trent customers across Hatton.
Making a real difference within the community
Initiative organiser and Avove Customer Experience Advisor, Dylan Williams commented:
“It has been a brilliant experience, from start to finish, to organise and undertake this community day with the school. Knowing how our efforts will help improve students’ well-being and experience day to day in school meant that all of us here working on the project could not wait to get hands-on and involved.”
James Hood, Avove Project Manager working on the Hatton project, said:
“This has been a fantastic opportunity for us to support the local community in Hatton after all their understanding and patience during our essential works over the past year. It’s a great feeling knowing our support will make a difference within the community.”
Senior Project Manager at Severn Trent, Oliver McMahon, added:
“We are delighted to be able to offer our support to the restoration of this important part of the school and hope the work will provide ongoing benefits to the students. We are grateful to the Hatton residents for their patience over the past 12 months as we have been undertaking essential works to secure future water supplies in Warwickshire. We hope this donation helps to repay the community for their understanding and support.”
Delivering long-term social value, together
We are committed to making a positive impact, delivering long-term social value in locations across the UK, whether that is through ensuring the efficient supply of utilities or volunteering to help local people and causes. To help us continue this commitment, we offer all our colleagues a paid volunteering day each year, so they can support initiatives they are passionate about.