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VOLUNTEERS CULTIVATE SUCCESS FOR SCHOOL GARDENING PROJECT

Pupils in a North-east school have started the new term with a transformed playground and garden – thanks to the hard work of a group of green-fingered volunteers.

Members of Aberdeen Foyer’s Prince’s Trust Team 24, based in Peterhead, and representatives from Aberdeen-headquartered oil company CNR International (CNRI) have been involved in a project to renovate the outdoor space of the Anna Ritchie School in the Buchan town.

During the three-week project, volunteers dug up an area of grass and replaced with decking, allowing easier access for the pupils at the school.

The scheme was supported by a number of businesses, including Speedyhire, Buchan Power Tools and CNRI, who provided a range of essential equipment.

The Aberdeen Foyer’s Prince’s Trust Team scheme is a 12 week personal development programme for young people aged 16-25 who are not in employment, education or training.

Bryan Mackay, Prince’s Trust team leader and a learning support worker for Aberdeen Foyer, said: “We heard that the school had been planning to do this for some time so we approached them to offer our services.

“This project has been really successful, not just in delivering a great outdoor space for the pupils but also allowing our volunteers to build their confidence and teamwork skills which will be invaluable in employment.”

CNR International became involved in the gardening project through the company’s sponsorship of, and participation in, the Prince’s Trust Peterhead scheme.

Barry Duncan, Vice President of Finance at CNR International, was one of the volunteers, along with colleagues, Dougie Coull, Rebecca Gayler and Neil Deeney.

Barry said: “At CNR, we believe that it’s important to have a hands-on approach to charity schemes and the Anna Ritchie School project is a fantastic example.

“The staff involved really enjoyed being able to help out and see the transformation of the playground and garden into a more useable outdoor space for the children.

“We have strong links already with the Prince’s Trust Peterhead scheme as we deliver workshops on how to succeed in the recruitment process so it was great to be working alongside volunteers from this organisation on the Anna Ritchie project.”

CNR International is a division of Canadian Natural Resources Limited, an independent oil and natural gas exploration, development and production company headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

For further information about CNR, visit www.cnri.com

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