Sixty square metres of overgrown and unusable land at the back of Rodmell CE Primary School was converted into a safe play area for children in the reception classes last week (7–8 August). Trees and shrubs were cleared from the site and the ground was levelled and edged with railway sleepers.
The project is the first to be undertaken as part of a pioneering street works partnership forged between the energy company, the County Council and their major contractors, May Gurney and Murphy Ltd., last year. The partnership aims to ensure all parties work more closely to improve road works across the county.
The partnership is also keen to work together on community projects and provided all of the resources and materials for the playground makeover. The team of 20 volunteers moved 22 tonnes of materials in and out of the playground – that’s over 250 wheelbarrow loads – during the community challenge.
Richard Wakelen, Head of Street Works for EDF Energy Networks, said: “This was a great opportunity for us all to get involved in what is hopefully the first of many projects where we can continue to strive to work better together while doing something worthwhile for community groups and organisations.”
Rupert Clubb, Director of Transport and Environment, said: “I’m very impressed by the transformation of this unused land into a new play area for the children. It’s a great example of the aim of our groundbreaking partnership approach which is to help the people of East Sussex by working as one team. I believe that this new approach is already being picked up by other local authorities.”
Head Teacher Julie Claxton said: “This area had got so overgrown and had become too big a job for the school to deal with by ourselves so we are delighted the volunteers from EDF Energy Networks, East Sussex County Council and their contractors have stepped in to help.
“We see this as a fantastic opportunity to create a safe outdoor learning environment for our younger children. It will give them an all-year-round play area and includes a sensory area.”
Mark Baker, Operations Manager for Murphy Ltd., said: “It was a great pleasure to participate in this event. It enabled us to showcase our all-round skill base and versatility in the undertaking of these works. We all hope the children enjoy the new playground and look forward to working with everyone again in the future.”
Martin Potter, May Gurney’s Operations Director, added: “This street works partnership does a lot of work behind the scenes to help the travelling public and this type of project helps to make the benefits more tangible for the local community.”
Reference:
2079
Contact the press team
