08 February 2006 00:00 Central Networks’ Worcester team gets to work on new local outdoor activity ground

A team from Central Networks’ Worcester Delivery Centre have been busy in the playground all for a good cause.

A seven-strong team is helping to build a new outdoor activity ground at the Upton Warren Outdoor Education Centre based in Bromsgrove.

As well as manpower, Central Networks, which is part of E.ON UK, has donated £500 towards the cost of the scheme that will benefit people across the West Midlands.

Work Programme Manager Andy Ellis said: “We’re delighted we’ve been able to lend a hand and to help the education centre create its new activity ground.

“The team installed 14 new 16 - 22 meter high wooden poles that have come all the way from Sweden and secured them in the ground safely, ready for the new equipment to be fitted.”

The new outdoor activity ground will be ready in about two months and will be a welcome addition to the programme of canoeing, sailing and kayaking already offered by the centre, which is owned and operated by Worcestershire County Council.

Phil Ascough from Worcestershire County Council said: “The new course at Upton Warren will quite literally take quality Outdoor Education to new heights.

“The dedication of Central Networks staff, and resourcefulness to overcome each challenge that the project presented, is exactly what we hope to instil in the young people who will be using the elements of the course.

“I would like to express my thanks to the Central Networks team who have turned our plans into reality. This will be a jewel in the activities we offer and provide outdoor education experiences for young people within the West Midlands.”

Andy said: “The work recently completed is apart of our Energy in the Community initiative. It’s been a tough job but great fun and the team are pleased they’ve been able to make a contribution to the centre.

“We’ve been helped this week by our JCB contractor Paul Hackley from I.G Hackley Plant Hire. It’s been a real team effort and everyone has got in the spirit of it.”

The E.ON UK Employee Involvement programme, which includes staff from Central Networks, provides rewarding experiences for all employees. Working together with organisations nationally, the company finds and supports volunteering opportunities that best support the needs of its employees.

Ends

Notes to editors:
•Central Networks is the new name for Midlands Electricity and East Midlands Electricity. The company brings power to 4.8 million customers across the East and West Midlands through 133,000km of underground and overhead cables and via almost 97,000 substations;
•Central Networks covers an area from the Peak District in the north to parts of Bristol in the south, and from the Welsh Borders to the Lincolnshire Coast.

For further information and pictures contact:
Rebecca Middleton 024 7642 5779
Out of hours, call 024 7642 4000 and ask for the duty press officer