Community Work

In April we donated 19 tonnes of clean stone to Lawrence Weston Community Farm to help improve their yard. A few days after we delivered the product, a group of volunteers came in to spread the stone and finish the improved area within the farm.

"Not only will this help transform the look of the yard, but it will also improve usability for the busy summer months ahead!"

Ian Fielder - Volunteer Coordinator

In March we celebrated our Irish roots by taking part in the Bristol Irish Society St Patrick's Day parade, travelling from Trinity Centre Old Market to St Nicholas Market in the city centre. It had been two years without a parade, so we were thrilled to take part in this year's event, as well as being the main sponsor, having donated £2000.

We were proud to include a couple of our vintage vehicles along with one of our brand new Scania V8 Tipper lorries. There was also a big party to celebrate, featuring lots of live music and Irish dancing. Here are some photos from the day.

Recently, we were delighted to be able to donate some of our Type 1 aggregate to a wonderful local cause. Old Sneed Park Nature Reserve in Bristol is a fantastic community asset and a hub of biodiversity, holding great ecological value. The aggregate donated by B&A Group will be used to help fill in parts of the path that had become impassable due to excessive mud caused by heavy rain and increased footfall during the pandemic.

B&A Group are always happy to support Hallen Village Community Group which was formed in 2005 to enhance the life of our local village. Previous projects include supporting the 2019 Christmas Fate, replacing flower planters to welcome those driving through the village, donating aggregates for drainage, and providing 12 tonnes of topsoil to improve the village green where the war memorial is now sited.

The soil was delivered in bulk to Hallen Farm and then delivered by wheelbarrow to the green. The site has been re-seeded, bushes and trees have been trimmed and planted and a variety of bulbs provide a lovely display in the spring.

The memorial takes the form of a simple Latin Cross and is dedicated to the 12 men who died during the First World War, it reads, ‘To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of the Hallen men who Fell in the Great War 1914 to 1918’. It was unveiled in 1921 by the Vicar Charles Way, a guard of honour was formed by the Royal Engineers from Berwick Camp and the service was attended by a large group of villagers.

B&A Group recently sponsored St Bernadettes RFC Mini and Juniors Team in Whitchurch, Bristol. The funds provided have been used to purchase 40 new pairs of shorts for the team members featuring the B&A logo on the back. We would like to wish the team lots of luck this season and hope they have fun!

“Without local sponsorship, grassroots Rugby couldn't exist. We are massively grateful for the very generous donation which has provided our young players the equipment they need to play the game. St Bernadettes RFC are very excited to begin a new chapter with B&A Group and will proudly represent their logo on our new kit.”

Ben Thomas – St Bernadettes Old Boys RFC Junior Chairman

At B&A Group we are proud to continue to work in collaboration with www.carbonfootprint.com by supporting their international tree planting projects. Since we began our mission to shrink our carbon footprint in 2017, we have offset 500 tonnes of carbon and supported the planting of 500 trees.

As the Government have pledged that the UK bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, supporting tree planting projects is a powerful way to help in the fight against climate change. We are also supporting a project alongside The Woodlands Trust to plant a further 1200 trees in the UK.

With sustainability at the forefront of our company vision, there are many other initiatives that we are looking to implement to reduce our environmental impact, thus enabling us to actively contribute to the UK’s commitment to the net zero goal.

We were absolutely delighted to present the Severn Beach Village Hall Committee with £3,750 to aid in the refurbishment of the hall for the enjoyment of the local community. Our friends at Mountpark Logistics also gave a generous donation to help move the project forward.

The plan to improve the facilities at the village hall will benefit the local community, providing a much needed refreshment to the space where villagers can gather together for a variety of events, activities and clubs including, the community library, Zumba, Bingo, over 50’s club, parent and toddler group and a village history group.

https://www.severnbeachvillage

Hallen FC is a local football club based around the corner from the B&A Group head office in Bristol. The team currently play in the Premier Division of The Hellenic League and also compete in the FA Cup and FA Vase competitions every season. We were keen to help the club in some way so we have sponsored one of their pitch side advertising boards this season.

The club runs three adult teams and eight junior sides and are heavily involved in the local community, helping run the village recreation centre, hosting senior citizen afternoon teas, horticultural shows and fun days.

“The sponsorship received assists our volunteers in the running of our community football club. It is much needed and helps give our adults and over 200 children fantastic opportunities to play grassroots sport.”

Lee Fairman – Hallen FC Chairman

A loyal customer of B&A Group, George Evans from Soilfix, recently ran the London Marathon in an effort to raise funds for the sports courts at Marlwood School. We were more than happy to donate £100 towards improving the facilities at a school in our local area.

In December 2020 we decided to create a competition for all the children in two local schools, to design our Christmas card. We had hundreds of wonderful entries and it was lovely to see the amount of effort put in by both schools. The twelve winners and runners up were thrilled to receive Smyths Toy Superstore vouchers and B&A Group also made donations directly to the schools to use how the wish.

"We are so grateful to B&A for giving the children this opportunity to show off their artistic talents and the incentive of your fantastic prizes really spurred them on. The children are so proud of their designs and it was lovely to see them printed onto your company Christmas cards. The donation for the whole school is going to be used to provide each class with some books and resources to support their learning and again, when we have bought them we will send you a photo. The staff are happily working their way through the mince pies, chocolates and other gifts you sent - this was a much needed 'pick me up' after the last few challenging months we have had at school!"

- Severn Beach Primary School

Bristol & Avon has been a keen supporter and enthusiastic sponsor of the club based in Wotton Under Edge, Gloucestershire for over 20 years. Company Director, Aidan Berkely has been involved with Synwell since starting as an 11yr old Junior and later, as a senior boxer.

“The support from Bristol & Avon has been constant and deeply appreciated by club members, supplying much needed gym equipment and clothing. The purchase of a mini bus was a major factor, enabling the boxers to travel countrywide to compete. With the support of Bristol & Avon, the club is now thriving, ensuring it’s future and that of the local youth who benefit in the physical and mental discipline required to participate in the sport”

Malcolm Knight – Synwell ABC Coach

B&A Group wanted to work with Kingsweston School and their work experience placement scheme set up to help introduce students to the world of work, building their confidence and encouraging them to try new things. We were delighted to have Gina Cox, aged 16 who is also a student at the Oasis Academy outreach program near Shirehampton for some work experience at our Head Office in Hallen.

"It has been a pleasure doing work experience at B&A Group. Personally, I really enjoyed being there once I knew what it was going to be like and what jobs you wanted me to do. I would especially like to thank you for making my first work experience a really positive one. You made me feel welcome and confident. Thanks so much for the bag full of goodies. It was so kind of you."

- Georgina Cox