Supporting the community - A1 Wentbridge Viaduct and Wentedge Bridge

Some of our A1 Wentbridge Viaduct team had a fabulous day at beautiful Brockadale nature reserve, supporting the work of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. 

Spending the day in one of their wildflower meadows which had recently been cut, our job for the day was to rake and clear the cuttings.

The excess cuttings needed to be removed to avoid the nutrients being added to the soil, as low nutrient soils provide the best conditions for the wild flowers to thrive. So this should help the wildflowers continue to flourish next year.

Despite the rain and wasps nests, together with a team of volunteers we managed to get the field cleared.

We hope to be returning in the near future to support more of their work enhancing biodiversity in the area. 

At National Highways, we’re committed to making a real difference for the communities who live near our roads in Yorkshire & Northeast. While working close by on the A1 at Wentbridge, we heard about Little Buds Allotment.

Bless Community Support, based in Upton, West Yorkshire, provides several services to local people to enhance their physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being. From memory friendship groups to bereavement support, lifelong learning and environmental projects, Bless brings people together from all age groups, to enrich lives and benefit the community.

Little Buds is one such environmental project: a community allotment space kindly provided by Upton Parish Council to Bless, for children and their families to explore, grow fruit & veg and to learn about and support the environment and wildlife.

Working with our Wentbridge contractors and other suppliers across the region, we asked how we could support Little Buds and then set to work with offers of practical help. Octavius, the principal contractor at Wentbridge, led the charge by managing the new surfacing for outbuildings, footpaths, and a seating area. Over three months, the allotment space was transformed with £7500 of equipment donated by our suppliers with new surfacing to footpaths and the seating area, fencing, raised beds, a luxury bug hotel, and a range of seating for learning and community events.

 The allotment was officially opened on Friday 11 August by Julie Green, CEO of Bless Community Services and Mike Benn, Area Manager for Octavius, with over one hundred local people in attendance alongside volunteers from Bless, representatives from National Highways and the contractors who delivered the work.

Julie said “I would like to start with a massive thank you to all the contractors and contributors who were involved in making Little Buds a huge success, becoming a legacy for our community for years to come. Every single person has been fantastic and so kind, we cannot believe how lucky we are to have you all to fetch this to life.”

Simon Boyle, Regional Operational Director at National Highways, explained “It was great to be able to attend the opening of the Bless Community Allotment and see first-hand what our teams have worked hard to help contribute to. Being present at the opening event was humbling, it showed how through working together, providing support, and giving our time, we can help to make a huge impact to local communities.”

Simon added “You could not helped be moved by the passion shown by the team and those who run Bless day to day and the amount they give to making it a success, hearing how through our collaboration we had helped to bring their dreams to life truly showed what we can achieve when we work together.”

We want to extend a huge thanks to our A1 Wentbridge contractors and suppliers. We’ve also had amazing support with cash donations and materials from suppliers and contractors working with National Highways across the rest of Yorkshire.

For a short video of the official opening event visit https://youtu.be/s0z8vgYx1z0