Community improvement team you can bank on

22 July 2016

A team from an Aberdeen bank have dramatically improved a community allotment by adding footpaths, marking out allotment spaces, removing vegetation, trimming hedges, and making the area more attractive.

The volunteers came from a broad mix of colleagues from Bank Of Scotland Commercial and Private Banking teams based in Albyn Place, Aberdeen, carried out the heavy work at Cummings Park.

The project was organised Aberdeen City Council Community Engagement Officer ACC Services.

Aberdeen City Council Communities, Housing and Infrastructure convener Councillor Neil Cooney said: “It was a huge amount of work carried out by the team and just shows what a bit of effort and pulling-together can achieve.

“We welcome efforts by groups to make a difference in their local area as it’s the people who live and work there who benefit from the this work.

“I’’m sure the Bank of Scotland’s colleagues’ efforts will be hugely appreciated by the community both now and in years to come.”

Alan Flint, Bank of Scotland Relationship Director, said: “All the team thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“Working together for the good of the community gave everyone a real sense of pride and we were delighted to be able to help in a practical way and support such a worthwhile project. “

The work carried out by the team included:

Railway sleepers installed to create two paths which are, accessible to all, and each path used up 14 railway sleepers which had to be dug in, levelled, straightened and packed in, in extremely tough ground; Woodchip wheel barrowed from pile at entrance onto the first path. The left over pile totalled about 1 tonne. Moving it onto the first path not only finished the path off but it tidied up the entrance and made it more welcoming; Six allotment spaces marked out with timber sections and 42 sections of timber in total were used with each allotment space divided into two, which created a total of 12 allotments ready to be used; Heavy vegetation removed from the perimeter of the allotment area and this was transferred to a holding area to create mini beast habitat piles in the ‘wild area’; The hedge was trimmed back to make the area more inviting and the perimeter of the allotment space useable for groups. Litter was removed as well; Timber poles were cut to make pegs for the allotment perimeter.

The work was carried out by the volunteers over a period of three one-day sessions.