• Team of 9 Dale Power Solutions apprentices revitalise East and West Ayton Playing Fields, Scarborough
• The community project to help young people is part of the team’s bid to win the nationwide Brathay Apprentice Challenge 2017
• This project tied in with National Apprenticeship Week 6-10 March 2017
Thanks to a team of nine apprentices from Dale Power Solutions, (www.dalepowersolutions.com) children in the villages of East and West Ayton can now enjoy a clean, bright playpark with mini nature reserve.
The team of apprentices who are taking part in the national Brathay Apprentice Challenge are required to deliver a community project that will benefit young people as part of the challenge.
Apprentice team leader Mickyle Clark explains why the park was chosen, “We looked at several local projects before choosing Ayton Playpark as our community project. After talking with Mick Almond, Secretary for East and West Ayton Playing Fields, we knew that between us we had the right set of skills to deliver a great outcome for the village. The cleaning, repairing, painting has all been done by our team of nine apprentices.”
The project involved a complete clean-up of the park, removing moss from the ground, painting and repairing the play equipment and adding flower beds and animal habitats or and bug hotels to encourage wildlife to the area. The climbing frames, see-saw and swings are now painted in bright, appealing colours.
The team engaged support from the National Trust to learn how to build appropriate wildlife habitats and then passed on their knowledge by working local 2nd ELO Scout Group to build a number of boxes which are now in situ at the park.
Mickyle is excited to see how much the park has changed, “It’s amazing to see how the park had been transformed. “All the play equipment has been sanded and repaired and is now painted it vivid colours. We’ve built raised flower beds and planted them with plants and flowers and all the equipment has been sanded down and repaired. It’s now bright and welcoming to both children and bugs!”
The team of young men and women aged between 16 and 26 are currently undertaking a range of apprenticeships including electronic engineering, business administration and supply chain management. They hope to follow in the footsteps of Dale apprentices who won the prestigious nationwide Brathay Apprentice Challenge Award in 2015.
Team captain Mickyle Clark, a Business Administration Apprentice, explains how the team chose the playpark project. “In previous years the Brathay Apprentice Challenge has asked participants to choose a community project to work on as part of their project; this year the community project has to benefit young people. We discussed different project ideas and chose the playpark as we feel we have the right skills for the project and believe we can make a very positive difference in the village.
“When we saw the Ayton playpark we felt it was a real shame that an outdoor area dedicated to fun was so run down and uninviting. We’re hoping that once we’ve given the park a “Dale Apprentice Makeover” more families will feel like taking their children there to enjoy the outdoors. She added “We’re very grateful for all the help and support we’ve received from Zoe at the National Trust and the Scouts for making up the boxes. We’ve all learnt a lot of new skills along the way.”
The Dale team also helped at events in the region including “Successful Careers” at Coventry University Scarborough (08/03/17) and events at Derwent Training, Lady Lumley’s and Graham School.
The Apprentices have even been getting their Directors and CEO – Tim Wilkins involved in the Challenge by switching roles and being apprentices for the day with members of the Brathay Apprentice Challenge team. Dale Power Solutions (www.dalepowersolutions.com) has been running a comprehensive apprenticeship scheme for over 10 years. By going back to grassroots and promoting apprenticeships within schools and colleges, the company has successfully recruited and built a team of bright and enthusiastic apprentices and a thriving apprenticeship programme.
For more information contact:
Tracy Parkes, Marketing
Dale Power Solutions
T: 01723 583511
E: tracy.parkes@dalepowersolutions.com
