Applefields School gets a sparkling upgrade thanks to Portakabin production team
Applefields School on Bad Bargain Lane, York is a secondary school for young people with additional needs. The school’s classrooms were in need of a urgent makeover and Portakabin volunteered to offer people power, support and materials.
Lea Unwin, Process Worker for Portakabin was quick to respond to the mayday from Applefields. Lea’s wife, Shiralee, works as a Teaching Assistant at the school and explained how some of the classrooms were in serious need of redecoration. With the students away for the summer break, it was the perfect time to gain access and get to work!
Lea managed to recruit a small team of colleagues from the Stores team in Production including Kenny Hilton, Production Operative and Ollie Cambridge, Process Worker.
Each Portakabin employee is entitled to spend at least a day each year working for a charity or organisation of their choice.
“We were also lucky enough to be able to approach one of our suppliers, Crown Paints, to help with the materials to complete the job. Manager Helen Plant from Crown Decorating Centre, James Street, York delivered the paint personally and was delighted to be able to support special educational needs provision in the City of York”, said Lea.
Tabatha Hurst, Head of Sustainability at Portakabin said: “Supporting our local communities, is at the heart of our brand; with a vision to always create positive social impact. Initiatives can range from fundraising and volunteering, to support for local wellbeing and engaging with young people and other vulnerable groups. It’s been fantastic to see Lea, Kenny and Ollie’s hard work come to fruition at the school!”
Lea continued, “With schools like Applefields continuing to struggle for additional funding, being able to donate our time, energy and support for the day was a massive win for the three of us.”
Lea and Kenny will return later in August to finish off the project and complete the refurbishment of another classroom with the help of another two colleagues from the Production team.