2nd December 2022

Our new “Green Skills Team” are working in Slough supported by an exciting new partnership between Segro, Groundwork South and Slough Borough Council. The team has been set up to make improvements to the local environment and to help local people gain valuable skills and gain future job opportunities. Segro are an international company who started in Slough.

Green Skills team working in Slough

The new volunteering programme is run over a six weeks, with two days a week based at one of the two sites in Slough currently being improved for the local community and wildlife.  The two sites include, Salt Hill Park in Slough and the Slough Arm of the Grand Union canal, where the teams are gaining valuable horticultural skills and environmental management, with activities such as coppicing, planting and tree management being carried out.  The teams also spend one day a week in the classroom, learning valuable employment skills in order to improve their future job prospects. The training includes; CV writing, interview techniques, help with job applications and one of the unique parts of the scheme, is that all volunteers are guaranteed an interview with one of our partners, “Maydencroft” for a potential new job working with a national landscaping and environmental management company. We are delighted to say that our partnership with Maydencroft has resulted in a number of our previous team members gaining employment with them.

Connor from Slough found out about joining the team through Slough Job Centre he said…

It has been such a great opportunity to get the hands on experience. The learning has been really valuable, which will definitely help me with other future jobs too.

Connor with team supervisor Josh Bowes, starting to lay a new path at Salt Hill.

Slough Borough Council’s cabinet member for Transport and Environment, Cllr Mohammed Nazir, has worked with us on the programme and is really pleased to have local companies joining partnerships. He tells us:

“We are very grateful to have Segro support this new project to help improve some of the local green areas and this collaboration of partners is fantastic to provide opportunities for local people to volunteer and hopefully get a job at the end.”

Segro volunteering day with our Green Skills team

It was fantastic to have a team of Segro employees come to volunteer with us at Salt Hill Park for the day and work with the green team laying a new footpath for the local community to benefit from. The team also got to grips with coppicing overgrown areas and repairing some of the fencing. The team were enthuastic and got stuck in to help make sure the job got finished. Gordon Sajero, from Segro, told us:

“It has been a great morning and good to work with local people wanting to improve the area.  Volunteer days like this are important to me as it gives me the chance to give something back to help the community and it is good to get away from your desk and get involved”.

Gordon from Segro volunteering at Salt Hill Park, Slough.

Segro – our latest Corporate Supporter of the Colne Valley Park

We would like to thank Segro and their team, for all their help with this project and for becoming a Corporate Supporter of the Colne Valley Regional Park. Support from local companies means we can do our best to help protect, promote and enhance the Regional Park, as well as put into place many environmental improvements to benefit both local people and wildlife.  We are always very grateful for any new support, so please do get in touch if you would like to get involved. How to become a Corporate Supporter.

Segro and green team volunteers laying a new path at Salt Hill, Slough. More pictures of a glorious sunny day of partnership working in late November.