Telford transport company drive transformation of popular pool

A Telford transport company is helping to drive forward the transformation of a popular pool and green area in the town.

Simmonds Transport, based at Stafford Park and High Ercall, has teamed up with the volunteer group Friends of Telford Town Park (FOTTP) to offer funding and man hours on a major project at Grange Pool in Stirchley.

Simmonds is providing both cash and their staff to help with environmental and community projects on a Saturday morning as part of a scheme to assist with both wellbeing for employees and positive impact for the local community.

CEO of Simmonds, Bart Walkerdine, said they were happy to help.

He said: “We had a walk around the park and the volunteers showed us the projects they were working on, they are lovely people to work with.

“We have signed up to work together for 12 months initially but I would imagine it will grow, longer term, once people see the results of the work they’re doing, they will be inclined to keep coming.

“We employ over 100 people and have 70 trucks that deliver across the whole of the UK, our drivers spend a lot of time away or our staff work at the High Ercall or Stafford Park sites and don’t see each other, so a morning volunteering for a project like this – for which they get half a day off in lieu – is a great way for all the staff in the business to connect with other team members they may not normally see within a different environment, team building and improving mental health too.”

The firm agreed to become a sponsor of the voluntary group because they were looking to get involved in the local community and an environmental project in particular.

The first Saturday morning session was held last month (AUG 17) and it was deemed a huge success.

Bart added: “When we heard about FOTTP it felt right. We are a Telford company and it is the Telford Town Park and positive work for local people and nature.

“We are conscious that we are a transport and warehousing company so it is important that we give back to the environment where we can, which is difficult to do in our normal line of business, but we do ensure our trucks are economical and make the changes we can, but we also do extra.

“The first gardening session was a really positive one, everyone who took part really enjoyed it.”

The project includes repainting all the benches and tables in the learning area next to Grange Pool, repairing and repainting the Onion seating area, planting new willow to recreate the willow arch leading to the area and around the pool to strengthen the banks and protect the wild life, repairing and tidying the paths around the pool, install new benches and make insect traps so children can lift the lid and see what happens underground.

FOTTP is also looking for a further £10,500 of funding to repair the bridge leading over to the Crannog. Once the bridge is repaired the volunteers will look to build a bird hide with feeding stations.

Adrian Smith, chairman of FOTTP, added: “It is great to have Simmonds Transport as a sponsor of our volunteer group.

“It is not only fantastic to have their funding donation to us, but also to have their staff on hand to help out with our gardening sessions.

“More hands will help get more done and that was certainly the case during our first session together last month! This is a major project around Grange Pool in Stirchley and it needs a lot of TLC, so we are very pleased we now have Simmonds on hand to support us!”

There are 40 members of FOTTP and around 12 who regularly work on the gardens each week on a Wednesday morning.

Saturday sessions take place once a month and run from 9am to 1pm, details of the dates of these will be posted on the Friends Facebook page.

For more information or to join them visit their website www.friendsoftelfordtownpark.org/ or follow them on Facebook.