Member Article

EDF Energy’s Force for Good Team cleans up Barnes Park

Customer services representatives at EDF Energy, based at Doxford International Business Park, recently volunteered their time to help clean and tidy up Barnes Park, one of Sunderland City’s Green Flag Award Parks.

As part of EDF Energy’s Force For Good initiative, where employees from different departments come together to help their local community, 11 employees from across the Doxford site took a day out of their working week and spent it in the park picking up litter, weeding and tidying garden borders and plants.

Andrew Ingram, an Operational Team Manager at EDF Energy Doxford who led the team of 11 as part of the community project, said: “It was great that so many of us were able to come together and do our bit for our local community.

“We spent a full day picking up litter, digging and weeding the park’s sensory garden feature and tidying up other areas so families across the city can continue to enjoy the park and its natural attractions.

“Although it was a tiring day, it was definitely rewarding to see how much we were able to do in a pretty short space of time. We’re already looking forward to the next community scheme; it’s something many employees enjoy doing and it’s nice to give a little something back.”

The EDF Energy Force for Good programme allows all employees at EDF Energy to take up to two days paid leave every year to volunteer in the community. The projects they work on not only benefit local people, they also provide personal development and team-building opportunities for staff.

Andrew Old, Environmental Services Manager at Sunderland City Council, added: “Barnes Park plays an integral role in the lives of so many people within the city and it’s wonderful to see this kind of local community initiative from such a big local employer like EDF Energy.

“The hard work and commitment from volunteers such as those from EDF Energy’s Doxford site helps the council to provide a clean, tidy and safe environment for everyone to enjoy.

“Huge thank you for your time and efforts; it really does make a difference to one of the city’s most popular and well-loved parks.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by EDF Energy .