ON 15th June 2016 10 employees from housing maintenance provider, Wates Living Space Maintenance together with students from South Essex college and resident from Seabrook Rise estate in Grays downed tools to help create a new outside space at the new community centre on Seabrook Rise estate as part of the Wates Group’s 11th annual Community Week.
The event was organised as part of Wates’ annual Community Week, which saw over 2,000 employees nationwide donate a day of their time to make a tangible difference to the communities in which they are working. This year, local projects across the UK will receive over 8,000 hours of Wates’ time.
The Wates Living Space Maintenance team turned out in force, working alongside its supply chain partners, students from South Essex College and local residents to transform the rear garden of Seabrook Rise Community Association’s new community centre.
The outside space was transformed to create raised planters and a new brick barbeque. This will enable the garden to be used by Seabrook Community Association to host events for the entire community to come together and enjoy.
The event was marked with the burial of a time capsule, to be re-opened in July 2041, containing information about the history of Seabrook Rise estate and other memorabilia from 2016.
David Morgan, Managing Director of Wates Living Space Maintenance, commented: “Wates Community Week gives Wates employees and our supply chain the opportunity to spend the day giving back to a local community project. We are proud that we could support this project in Thurrock and are pleased that our volunteering has helped make a real difference to the local community.”
Monty and Gemma, the founders of Seabrook Rise Community Association, commented: "We’re really happy that Wates approached us for a community project, as volunteers in the community we know there are some great projects across the borough, so to receive the help they provided was fantastic.
It was such a thrill to plant our time capsule, containing memorabilia from the community house, local information as well as national news like the celebration of the Queens 90th Birthday and even international news with a tribute to the victims of the Orlando shootings. We look forward to opening the capsule in 25 years.
The garden looks amazing, with such beautiful plants to brighten it up and a custom built barbecue for events. We’re really happy that we were able to work with students from South Essex College and were supported on the day by tutors from the college, members of the council and of course Wates."
Wates Living Space Maintenance is currently working in partnership with Thurrock Council on its £68m Transforming Homes programme to refurbish every council home in Thurrock.
