Corby’s Pen Green delighted with free garden renovation from generous construction firm

VolkerFitzpatrick, an engineering and construction company, has just finished building large distribution centres on the A43 and part of their ethos as a business is to ‘leave a lasting legacy’ in the communities that they work in.

In 2023 they identified Pen Green as a charity they would like to get involved with after speaking with Corby Foodbank.

They donated hundreds of Easter Eggs to Pen Green which were very well received and while they were there they asked if there were any further ways in which they could engage with them again.

Towards the end of 2023 they held a meeting together and identified areas of development in the garden and a way in which the company could get involved.

David Rowell from VolkerFitzpatrick said: “When we arrived there were areas in need of development, they were in a bit of disrepair, so we got in contact with our supply chain to see how they could help us out and they’ve donated their time and materials.

“It looks fantastic, the supply chain has done a fantastic job. Some members of my team have done a really great job in terms of managing it. From start to finish, we managed the whole process in a package: the planning, the management, the supply of the materials - and it just looks fantastic.

“Given that there are children involved, it’s really satisfying to know that they’ve got somewhere now to play. During Covid a lot of children were excluded from the environment and now they’ve got an area where they can play which is full of greenery, trees, activities, climbing ropes etc.

“It’s really, really going to help them and it’s great to see and it’s really rewarding for us to see that end result.”

Hannah Wilson-Law from Pen Green said: “With lack of funding we have really struggled with upkeep of the garden space. The outdoors is so important, particularly for small children, but all children really. When you think about their overall development, their physical development is one of the prime areas that underpins all their other areas of learning and so we’re very passionate about having an outdoor space that is a safe outdoor space for small children.

“So many of our children lack that in their home lives. We have a lot of children that live in flats and a lot of our children really missed out on outdoor physical spaces throughout Covid so we’re very passionate about ensuring that the outdoor space is available to them and that it’s a rich environment too.

“Being able to have somebody that’s willing to invest and contribute to the upkeep of the garden has just been so invaluable and the children have absolutely loved being out here, we can’t get them back inside now.”

VolkerFitzpatrick has further works at Magna Park with another four or five plots to develop, so as and when they come back to the community, they will look to engage again.