For several years STS has worked with not-for-profit social enterprise e50k which is run by military community members. Bramble Woods is a 3.5-acre woodland in Catterick, North Yorkshire which provides service families with a fantastic outdoor space away from a military environment to help overcome the potential issues including access to education and employment, social isolation, and physical and mental health challenges. The site is not only a beautiful woodland retreat allowing people to connect to nature, but it’s also home to many community events.
In 2022, Severn Trent Services was approached by e50K to help supply water to the site. However, inspired by what e50K was doing – and recognising we’ve been part of the local community in Catterick for many years – we gathered a team keen to volunteer and deliver much more and during 2022 and 2023, our deliverables included:
- The building of a pathway providing safe access around the site
- The installation of land drainage pipework to stop the site from getting boggy and flooded in the winter months
- The creation of a wetland and a pond to encourage biodiversity
- Bases for three community polytunnels for locals to grow produce
- The building of a composting toilet for visitors to use
- The installation of two rainwater harvesting tanks (donated by MW Waste) providing water supply to the polytunnels
- The delivery of community education sessions to highlight the problem with blockages
We will to continue to support this and other projects which benefit the communities we work in and serve.
Useful links – www.e50k.org.uk
