WILTSHIRE fireworks company employees lit up with delight after a stint of volunteering with their local canal restoration trust.
Staff from Pains Fireworks joined the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust for a day of outdoor work, helping to create a new wildlife habitat alongside the restored stretch of the waterway between Melksham and Chippenham.
The sales, operations and factory colleagues spent a morning coppicing at Naish Hill, near Lacock. They described it as “a wonderful experience”.
The visit was arranged by the Melksham, Chippenham & Calne branch of the charity. Branch wildlife officer Howard Yardy praised everyone for their work. He said: “It was great to welcome so many volunteers, enabling us to tackle some challenging tasks which would otherwise have taken a lot longer without the extra help.
“They spent several hours on an area of woodland between the canal and the River Avon, clearing a tangled mass of branches to create a ‘dead hedge’ to protect wildflowers and saplings from grazing deer.
“We hope it encourages other companies to get involved too. We’ve had groups helping with tree planting, hedge laying and installing birdboxes and batboxes. It’s a great opportunity for team building and learning new skills, as well as supporting local wildlife.”
Pains Fireworks operations manager Tom Barrett said: “Every year we like to arrange a day of volunteering to connect with others and give back to the local community.
“We’re not just work colleagues, we consider ourselves as friends, so it’s heartwarming to make a positive impact together.“It was a chilly day, but we soon worked up a sweat, and everyone was grateful for the tea and cake afterwards! It was a wonderful experience – we’d love to do it again.”
