Member Article

Hampshire housebuilder volunteers help to ‘build’ YMCA Christmas walking trail

Barratt Homes put aside the building of its new homes for a day and volunteered to help create a festive trail at YMCA’s Fairthorne Manor in Southampton last month.

The leading housebuilder, which is bringing new homes to the region, sent in a group of its employees to help the well-known charity’s outdoor setting in Curdridge in December.

The team cut back shrubbery on the site to make way for a Christmas trail and prepared signage for the event. They put together, painted, varnished, and added fairy lights to wooden Christmas trees that lined the Manor’s entrance driveway, and decorated the venue’s dining room with Yuletide garlands ready for its indoor festivities.

YMCA Fairthorne Manor is set in the heart of the Hampshire countryside and delivers year-round activities and events for the local community. The charity said it was thrilled to receive the developer’s support.

Jo Pike, Head of Programme, said: “Without the help of organisations such as Barratt Homes, we would find it hard to deliver these activities at the scale we aspire to reach. The volunteers brought us some much-needed manpower and approached each task with a fresh outlook, providing new inspiration for our festive event. We look forward to the opportunity of working together again in the future.”

Anthony Dimmick, Barratt Homes Community Liaison Manager is delighted that the housebuilder has been able to offer its help.

He said: “We want to support organisations in the communities where we are building new homes, and YMCA Fairthorne Manor is providing an excellent service for the local area. I know our team enjoyed getting into the festive spirit as they helped the charity get ready for its Christmas visitors in December.”

YMCA Fairthorne Manor is a unique outdoor activity venue, which has 94 acres of land to explore including ample camping grounds, woodlands, an enclosed lake, plus an enchanting entrance to the upper reaches of the River Hamble.

The charity’s Christmas trail ran from 17th-23rd December and saw visitors follow a self-led route through the Fairthorne woodlands.

Barratt Homes is building new homes across Hampshire. It is committed to supporting local causes which improve the quality of life for those living in the region, and its employees are all entitled to two days per year to take as volunteering days, so that they can work for a local charity of their choosing.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Barratt Homes .