Lorry firm gives centre helping hand to clear rundown play area in Pelsall
Volunteers running a community centre in the Black Country have spoken of their delight after a transport company donated time and equipment to clear a rundown play area.
Bosses at Walsall lorry firm Haywards offered to empty and demolish a large redundant shed along with site clearance for free at Pelsall Community Centre in Station Road.
Now the centre's operators are making plans to bid for grants to create a relaxation area in the space that was once a children's play area.
Centre committee member and trustee Arthur Roberts said: "We had a large shed at the rear of the property that needed emptying and disposing of and I had a quote locally for the job.
"However, when I spoke to Hayward Transport on another matter and mentioned it they said they would do it for free.
"They are local people with connections to the area and regularly support local schools and Pelsall Carnival.
"They came and supplied three large skips to empty it and another two to deal with the shed itself. They even bought a mini digging machine for the actual demolition work.
"We are really grateful to them as the amount of work they undertook tallied up to much more than the initial quote we'd been given and we couldn't have afforded the bill.
"Now that the area is cleared we want to open it up for play groups, quiet contemplation and our arts clubs. We'd like to install some raised flowerbeds and a soft play area for children's activities with a sail design cover.
"Of course it will also depend on whether we can attracts some grants to cover the cost as we estimated it may cost about £23,000."
Container operation Haywards based, in Portland Street, Walsall, was founded by Harry Hayward in 1919. He ran it until he sadly passed away, aged 96, in 2002.
