Staff create pond haven

17/02/2006

A pond at St Luke’s Hospice in Basildon is being transformed into a haven for wildlife with the help of staff from Essex & Suffolk Water.

The employees, who are all based in Vange, have cleared the pond and the area around it of rubbish and debris as part of the company’s community initiative ‘Just an Hour’.

This initiative enables employees to devote a minimum of 12 hours of work time to an approved community cause of their choice and is designed to improve local communities and the environment.

The heart-warming project will eventually provide patients at the hospice with a peaceful place to relax.

Tim Drummond, Project Designer for Essex & Suffolk Water said: “Working for the hospice was terrific because it gave us the chance to give something back to the community. We all worked really well together and built up a really strong team spirit.”

Chris Cox from St Luke’s Hospice said: “We are most grateful to Essex & Suffolk Water for assisting us in our garden project and for making such vast improvements to our pond area which we envisage, once completed, to be a place of natural beauty and tranquillity for our patients to enjoy.

“The hospice relies heavily on all our volunteers and the varying services that they provide to all departments and it is with pleasure to welcome Essex & Suffolk Water to our hospice team”.

If you have a community project that Essex & Suffolk Water could help with please contact
Communications Advisor Jacqueline Searle at jacqueline.searle@eswater.co.uk

For further information please contact Claire Bishop on 01245 212 010.