Milestone Infrastructure

Working with local communities

  • On some of our contracts, we engage with local communities allowing them to shape the final design of our improvement projects
  • After we have undertaken major schemes, we work with our clients to identify the positive social benefits that the completed works have delivered
  • We provide local community groups with additional support through our Community Volunteering initiative, where all team members have the opportunity to contribute towards a local good cause
  • We provide additional assistance to local community initiatives and events through the donation of materials, including the provision of traffic management for village fetes etc
  • Our teams often undertake fundraising activities on behalf of local charities
  • We work with and support local social enterprise organisations, helping to make a positive difference for members of the local community

Some great examples below across our contracts

Oxfordshire Highways

Volunteers from our  Oxfordshire Highways team helped to revamp a garden at a day centre run by Bicester Community Support Service, one of eight in Oxfordshire which offers tailored support activities for adults who have a learning disability, health needs because of age, physical disability, dementia or mental health needs. Among the tasks completed by the team were painting sheds and fencing, replacing shed roofing, building a trellis wall to create a seating area and jet-washing a patio.

Sandra Bennett, manager of the day centre, said: “We are amazed and delighted by the transformation. The day centre users and our staff will have hours of enjoyment sitting in the garden.” John Lowe, Highway Supervisor, who helped organise the day, said the team had promised to return soon to repair a fountain.He said: “It was great to lend them our support and know that it is making a real difference to people’s lives.

Our Peterborough Contract

A team of 42 office staff and operatives from our Peterborough Contract used their allocated volunteering day to help spruce up a local green space over the course of five days. Throughout the week the team took part in activities for Nene Park Trust, including removing fencing, replacing steps and carrying out landscaping. The team also cleared vegetation to  make footpaths more accessible, replacing steps to create better access  to a raised seating area with a view of the river and the lakes at Ferry Meadows, before resurfacing  pedestrian bridges and paths. Later in  the week, the team carried out a tree species survey to identify native trees and help the Nene Park Trust maintain them, tracking tree disease and helping them decide what trees to plant in the future.

Our Cambridgeshire Contract

Volunteers from our Cambridgeshire Highways team gave their time, along with support from local suppliers to work a day each over the course of a week alongside staff at the Prospects Trust in Cambridgeshire. The Trust runs an 18 acre organic farm which provides young adults with disabilities the chance to work, learn and grow produce on an organic farm. The team laid concrete paths to enable wheelchair user to get to poly tunnels; installed a soakaway in the car park; carried out groundworks for a new barn; and installed a disabled ramp. Mark Cornell, Farm Manager at the Prospects Trust, said “we are so overwhelmed with what has been achieved and from the bottom of our hearts would like to say thank you to everyone involved.

Our Oxfordshire Contract

Our Oxfordshire contract team frequently support the client in undertaking consultation on our projects. This can range from informal meetings with local stakeholders, to preparing for and attending public exhibitions as part of formal consultation on major highway projects.

A number of our current  projects involve highway improvements to encourage active travel within Oxford and other areas around Oxfordshire. Consultation with local pedestrian and cycling user groups is an Important part of the development and delivery of these schemes.

Croydon & Lewisham

Seven people from the Croydon and Lewisham PFI contract organised a Lend a Hand day at Bradmore Green in Old Coulsdon. They were joined by Councillor Chris Wright and the group Friends of Bradmore Green. The aim of the day was to clear the pond that was overgrown with an invasive pondweed, and was affecting wildlife because it had very little water use.

Marc Zahra, Customer Liaison Manager, explained: “Councillor Wright approached me to ask if we could help with clearing the pond. I explained about the volunteer days that we  have carried out in the past. I thought this would  be a great way to  engage with the communities where we work so I was more than happy to help.”

The team cleared about four tonnes of vegetation from the pond, which will help to encourage more wildlife to use it. As well as making the pond more attractive for the local community. A total of 56 hours were donated.

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