MANPOWER and materials donated to an Exminster charity have transformed a community allotment.

Help from Kier Group has made Westbank Community Health and Care’s allotment space into an area accessible to all.

Eleven local volunteers from Kier’s Natural Resources Nuclear and Networks division recently worked over a total of about four days to create a tarmac access ramp, level the ground and lay a concrete pathway to make the allotment accessible to wheelchair users.

The labour and materials equates to about £7,000 in value.

Kerry Fenton of Kier NRNN, which provides infrastructure services, said: ‘We have more than 500 direct employees in the South West, and we give them each two volunteering days a year to help charities and good causes.

'We connected with Westbank following a conference last year where we spoke about the social value of corporate volunteering.

‘As a result, we supported Westbank’s Community Larder last Christmas.

‘Then we got talking about Westbank’s plans to develop the Community Allotment and realised that this would be a great opportunity for us to help a grassroots local charity in a very practical way.’

She added: ‘I’ve lived in the Exeter area for 30-odd years. I’d heard of Westbank, but didn’t realise the extent of what the charity offers as a whole.

‘I’ve been blown away by the organisation and everything it achieves.

‘It gives so much back to the community and these are exactly the kind of projects we want to get involved in.

‘Our people are just so happy to help make a difference and get a huge sense of achievement from it. It’s not just about ticking a social value box for us. It really is about leaving a legacy within the communities in which we work.’

Katie Elliott, Westbank’s Head of Marketing and Fundraising, said: ‘Growing produce in our Community Allotment is a big part of Westbank’s drive to be sustainable.

‘In fact, our efforts towards sustainability and improving the local environment have recently been recognised by several awards.

‘To have such a significant contribution from Kier means an awful lot to us.

‘It’s enabled us to progress our plans much faster than we would otherwise have been able to, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone from Kier who has supported us.

‘To have the backing of an outward-looking business who wants to get involved with us is fantastic.

‘We look forward to working together with Kier on other projects in the future.’

Westbank is now in the process of developing a planting schedule for the allotment, and the charity looks forward to welcoming back Kier’s volunteers to see the end result and try some of the freshly-grown produce.