People living at Watermill Drive in Hastings are celebrating the completion of a newly refurbished play area thanks to Orbit South, Mitie and Tesco. 40 people, including staff from the three organisations along with local people from the community, volunteered their time over the summer to completely transform the park. The project, worth about £10k, was made possible due to donations of time, money and materials. Mitie contributed over £9,000 as part of their ongoing community investment commitment for Orbit communities and Tesco provided almost £1,000.
In addition to providing new landscaping, planters and a bench, the project team also added a new basketball hoop and refreshed a hopscotch area. What was once a tired and disused area, has now become the hub of the neighbourhood!
“It is great to see a fantastic park area that has been created for all the children to play and enjoy. Thank you to Orbit and everyone who made this happen,” says Katie Guenigault, an Orbit South customer who lives at Watermill Drive.
Tracy Barrow, Project Manager for Orbit South’s Property Investment team says; “We’re really pleased with the outcome! Earlier in the year, we refurbished 53 kitchens at Watermill Drive as part of our property investment programme. At Orbit, we don’t just provide and maintain homes. We’re all about building communities and this project is a great example of what can be accomplished when people work together to create something for their local neighbourhood. I really hope everyone living in the area enjoys the play area for years to come!”
Simon Church, Senior Partnership Manager for Housing at MITIE, says; “I want to say a huge thank you to everyone for all the effort and tireless enthusiasm that everyone has shown so we could complete the Watermill Drive play area. Although it was a challenge at times because of unpredictable weather, I’m so pleased we were able to give something back to the community.”
Lisa Noon, Community Champion for Tesco Hastings Extra, says; “We are delighted to part of this local project to inject new life into a local playground. We hope that the donation of a basketball hoop and a bench along with our manpower has helped. We very much want local communities to be brought together to lead healthier lives, create opportunities for young people and we know that by engaging in this sort of project, we can make a difference.”