WOLVERTON BUSINESS WINS NATIONAL COMMUNITY AWARD

A Wolverton business has won a national award in recognition of its work in making Wolverton a better place to live.

Bridgman & Bridgman won the Best Community Partnership with Business award at the Groundwork Community Awards, hosted by the charity in the Houses of Parliament in London on Thursday 22 November.

Groundwork, a national charity who works across the UK to support communities to change places and change lives, launched its awards in 2017 to honour small community groups making a big difference to everyone’s quality of life and to celebrate and reward groups who often get little recognition and support.

Bridgman & Bridgman are a commercial landscape and living roof services provider. The company lead on the ‘Don’t Rubbish Wolverton’ campaign, with the first clean-up day taking place in 2013 and engaged over 20 resident volunteers, the local council and refuse contractors to help clean up the streets. In one weekend, over six tonnes of waste was removed. Since then, they have established a network of Volunteer Street Monitors, providing them with necessary equipment to help stop fly tipping and keep the streets cleaner and safer.

The company sponsor and organise a weeklong illumination event within the local Secret Garden, which was free to the public. The event engaged a world-renowned light artist to illuminate the woodland, formal gardens, canal boats and artwork, attracting over 6,400 visitors and raising over £1,890 for the Garden.

In 2017, Director Chris Bridgman secured funding to introduce the first every ‘Community Fridge’ to help feed the 1 in 5 children in Milton Keynes living in poverty with 11 tonnes of food diverted from landfill.

Chris Bridgman from Bridgman & Bridgman said:
“It’s wonderful to have received recognition for the community work that our team carries out throughout the year. We are a local business and always aim to give something back to the people with whom we share our town.

“From seeing the buzz around the Community Fridge, to helping secure a Gold Award from RHS Britain in Bloom, it really has been an honour to serve the local community.”

Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s national CEO, said:
“I’d like to congratulate Bridgman & Bridgman on winning their award and wish them every success going forward in continuing to be a positive and inspiring voice and example for local people. This year, we received over 600 Groundwork Community Award applications that show the positive difference that local people are making in their local towns and cities.

“The Groundwork Community Awards have provided a platform for us to celebrate the amazing work that groups across the UK are doing to make their local communities better places to live.”

Groundwork Community Awards were sponsored by – B&Q, Buzzacott, Firmdale Hotels, Givewith, GVA, John Lewis Partnership, M&S, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, Peel Land & Property and Tesco.

Find out more: www.groundwork.org.uk/communityawards