31/01/2008

Water volunteers are in a spin after bagging loads of hours doing community work around the region.

Hundreds of employees from Northumbrian Water have spent more than 18,000 hours since 2002 improving local communities.

Through the company’s ‘Just an Hour’ employee volunteering programme, all workers are given the opportunity to spend at least 15 hours of paid work time every year supporting community initiatives from Berwick down to North Yorkshire and across to the Pennines.

In 2007, Dilston College in Corbridge welcomed more than 50 water workers from Newcastle upon Tyne and Northumberland. The MENCAP college, which prepares students with learning disabilities aged 16 to 25 for the next stage in life, set Northumbrian Water volunteers a variety of challenges and there was no hampering the effort!

Activities included including installing a water supply for the animal pens, creating a raised flower bed for wheelchair users and painting the new laundry room.

Alma Devine, Fundraising Development Manager at MENCAP, said: “The Northumbrian Water volunteers really pulled together to achieve every challenge handed to them. Dilston College is dependent on the goodwill of volunteers for help in completing such tasks and their efforts have made a huge difference to the lives of the students.”

Martin Tibbo who lives in Sunderland and works at Northumbrian Water’s sewage treatment works in Washington, said: “The day at Dilston College was great as a team building exercise to get people working together away from their usual working environment. Everyone chipped in and two of the residents, Katie and Robert, joined in to help. They were obviously as keen as we were for the improvements to be made.”

A further nine volunteers from the Tees Valley have recently offered assistance at Mowden Infant School in Darlington, to create a safe and usable garden space for the children aged four to seven.

The team spent a total of 63 hours tidying the garden and dug three vegetable patches so that pupils can grow vegetables and plants. They also painted a fence and bird lookout, created a seating area for pupils to work outside and filled in a disused pond which was a safety hazard.

Andrea Kent, who lives in Darlington and works at Northumbrian Water’s head office in Durham, said: “My daughter is a former pupil at Mowden Infant School so the day was particularly special for me. Before we arrived, the garden was not in use as it was overgrown and unsafe. Now the children have somewhere safe to work and play outside.”

“The day was really successful and gave everyone a sense of team spirit. It also showed that we really can make a difference in the communities in Northumbrian Water’s supply area.”

Northumbrian Water’s Just an Hour scheme, accredited through Business in the Community’s Awards for Excellence, was launched in 2002. The aim is to extend support beyond cash donations and use the skills and expertise of employees to assist in the wider community. A structured programme of employee involvement has been developed, which impacts on education, the environment and the general well being of the community.

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For further information please contact Leanne Clough on 0191 301 6733.