As part of the Kings Coronation celebration, Derby-based Specialist Contractor Cawarden participated in The Big Help Out, an initiative designed to encourage volunteering and help local communities.
In Derby city centre, Cawarden made a generous donation of its people and equipment to help out at Wilmorton Community Gardens for the YMCA Derbyshire, the custodian of the gardens.
As part of the YMCA Derbyshire’s master plan, a large structure within the gardens had to be demolished. Therefore, Matt Taylor, youth and community manager at YMCA Derbyshire enlisted the help of the demolition experts at Cawarden.
The structure had been a problem for some time and had delayed progress within the gardens, so Cawarden offered to provide a 7-tonne machine and an experienced operator to demolish it free of charge.
Now that the demolition work has been completed, a new eco-sustainability area will be created on the site, with potential plots, forest areas, and learning centres that will provide opportunities for environmental engagement for all ages to get involved.
As part of The Big Help Out, staff from Cawarden’s head office in Ockbrook also volunteered to clear a walkway that had become so overgrown that it could no longer be crossed. After the team had completed the labour-intensive work, the newly cleared walkway is ready to be transformed into a new eco-sensory trail for the YMCA’s young people and local communities.
Matthew Taylor, YMCA community and engagement manager, said: “The Cawarden team has been so generous and amazing, thank you! It’s such a relief we can begin a new chapter at the Wilmorton Community Gardens with our eco-sustainability plans for our community – something Cawarden has set the foundations for us to move on positively into this new season.
“All the money we have saved will be invested into the community gardens whereby we can provide more opportunities for people of all ages to utilise a green space in the city.”
Samuel Crooks, contracts director at Cawarden, added: “We have a longstanding relationship with the YMCA Derbyshire and we’re delighted to have been able to carry out this demolition work for them. We know the structure has been an obstacle for some time and has put plans for the gardens on hold.
“So it’s been our pleasure to clear the site as part of The Big Help Out and pave the way for the next phase of redevelopment that will benefit the community greatly. We wish YMCA the best of luck with the future plans for the site. I am sure we’ll be back soon to see the progress first-hand.”
The Wilmorton Community Gardens are a beautiful peaceful space being renovated for growing, contemplating, enjoying company and creating an exciting new venue.
The Big Help Out was announced in January as an event to mark the Coronation in tribute to the King’s public service with the aim of using volunteering to bring communities together and create a lasting volunteering legacy from the Coronation weekend.
