Skanska rises to The Footpath Challenge!

Staff from the construction company, Skanska, spent some of their ‘Environment Week’ taking part in the Horsell Common Footpath Challenge, a joint venture run by Horsell Common Preservation Society (HCPS) and Surrey Wildlife Trust’s (SWT) ‘Surrey Greenspace Project’ (which aims to encourage a wider audience to actively engage with their local wildlife and greenspaces and is funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund). 

The aim is to build a 1.2km all-access circular trail around this wonderful area of woodland and heathland on the margins of Horsell Common, Woking. The reserve is a SNCI (Site of Nature Conservation Interest) and local people and visitors are being encouraged to use it for recreation, in order to lessen the impact on the fragile heathland SPA (Special Protection Area) of Horsell Common itself. The 17 employees from Skanska’s mechanical and electrical division participated in a variety of tasks from carpentry to soil sifting and aggregate moving.

Tasha Feddery, SWT Community Outreach Officer for Woking and Guildford, said: “The Skanska team really rose to the challenge; both the quality and quantity of their work was outstanding as well as being a really friendly group to work with. We hope that this will have raised the profile of the project and the site itself amongst the employees of the organisation and would like to work together again in the future.”

A volunteer from Skanska said: "What a fantastic day!  We got to meet others in Skanska, work together and do something positive for the environment.  It was hard work, physically, but very enjoyable and rewarding. The team, Tasha (SWT), Paul and Gerald (HCPS) were just brilliant."

For more information, or to volunteer, call Tasha Feddery (SWT Community Outreach Officer for Woking and Guildford) on 07891 514575 or email Tasha.feddery@surreywt.org.uk.