An overgrown garden and allotment at a Derby primary school have been transformed by volunteers from Rolls-Royce who also uncovered a piece of history.
Fourteen R-R employees spent the day at St Alban’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, in Chaddesden, Derby, as part of the Derby company’s outreach programme.
Jobs completed by the volunteers included edging around raised beds, clearing and preparing planters and tidying and edging around the orchard.
They also dug out and prepared a pre-formed pond base, discovering a silver spoon dating back to the reign of King George V in the process.
Among the team was ex-St Alban’s pupil Mark Davis, who was returning to the school for the first time in 30 years.
He said: “It’s very familiar and it’s really nice to come back and for such a good cause. We’ve done two or three different projects now and when this one came up I thought the least I can do is come back. The school has got a great community feel to it.”
Tim Brogan, Headteacher at St Alban’s, thanked the volunteers for their hard work.
He said: “We were proud to welcome a fantastic team of volunteers from Rolls-Royce to support the development of our school’s outdoor learning environment.
“In total, they generously contributed 90 hours of volunteer time to help transform our garden and allotment space. Their professionalism, teamwork, and friendly attitude were exceptional, and they truly listened to the needs of the school throughout the day.
“The team brought energy, collaboration, and humour to every task. One of the highlights of the day was welcoming back a volunteer who had attended St Alban’s in the 1980s. He brought along photos from his time at the school, sparking great conversations and memories.
“In a surprising twist, while digging the pond area, the team even discovered a silver spoon dating back to the reign of King George V – a small but fascinating piece of history now linked to our grounds!
“We are incredibly grateful to Rolls-Royce for their commitment to community, sustainability, and education. Their contribution has made a lasting difference to our school environment and enriched the quality of outdoor learning for all our pupils.”
Sian Skerritt, programme executive from R-R, helped to lead the team of volunteers.
She said: “We usually do something like this once a year. It allows us to spend time together off the job and we are helping to improve the local community. Almost all of us work at desks on concepts so doing something practical in the community and seeing the results is lovely.”
Pictured right are R-R volunteers, the historic spoon, after the revamp, before the revamp, Mark Davis, R-R volunteer and former St Alban’s pupil.
