Solihull-based National Grid employees who volunteered to take on a new Business in the Community challenge have cleared the way for sought-after allotment plots for the people of Chadwick End.
With Solihull Council reporting that more than 230 people are now waiting for an allotment plot, volunteers at National Grid’s Solihull office took on the challenge of clearing a piece of land in Chadwick End which hadn’t been used for 20 years. Since September 2008, 30 volunteers have been clearing pathways, shrubbery plots and cutting back branches to provide 17 new allotment plots for the over 60s, unemployed, those with no gardens and a local nursery.
The allotments were officially opened by Councillor David Bell, Mayor of Solihull, on Saturday March 21. National Grid’s Director of Transformation, Pete Massey, was there to mark the opening, along with prospective allotment plot holders and the National Grid volunteers.
Lorraine Mitchell, a National Grid volunteer and one of the main organisers of the challenge, said: “That one team really can transform the self sufficiency of a community gives us such a great sense of satisfaction. This has been a real challenge, but certainly worth it - the visual impact is amazing."
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For further media information only, please contact Doranna Rizzo, National Grid Media Relations, on 01926 655373