Robertson Construction Tayside digs in to improve community garden

As part of their ongoing professional and personal development, the Robertson Construction Tayside young people (16 –24 years old) supported the renovations of a new garden for the community group, Campy Growers.

With the aim of wanting to make locally grown food accessible for all, Campy Growers is a volunteering group that grows fruit and vegetables at Camperdown Park, Dundee, for the local community. After hearing about the positive work they do and as part of Robertson Construction Tayside's commitment to improving communities where they work, the young people organised a day-long volunteering event to revamp the outside garden area for Campy Growers.

The main goal was to spruce up the outside area and improve the amenities for the community group. Using recycled materials from other Robertson Construction Tayside projects, the young people, joined by nine Tayside employees, constructed four timber growing beds; replaced a polytunnel; and connected three new external water supplies.

During the garden renovation project, each young person was allocated a job role that is required within a general project, such as health and safety, procurement, and finance. By allocating specific roles, the young people had the opportunity to further appreciate and understand how each element feeds into overall project success. Also providing a greater understanding of the key elements required and of roles they don't necessarily perform on a daily basis.

The garden improvements will help support the community group in its activities and complements the new Growers Hub building, delivered by the Tayside Team for Dundee City Council earlier this year. Comprising of a growing space; kitchen for community cooking classes; meeting space; toilets/showering facility; cold store storage space; and a large multi-functional zone, the Growers Hub was constructed as part of the £2.4 million regeneration funding awarded to Dundee City Council.

Craig Thow is the Operations Manager at Robertson Construction Tayside and its Young People Champion (YPC). YPCs have a specific role, being responsible for implementing their regional young people plan and ensuring KPIs are achieved at a regional level.

Craig commented: "We pride ourselves on having a valuable impact on the communities where we work, nothing exemplifies this more than young people giving back to their local community. Not only does it provide meaningful opportunities for young people to learn and develop through practical work, but it supports the work of an amazing community project. Supporting young people and making sure they have the right opportunities to enable them to further enhance their career is an important part of what we do at Robertson."

Kevin Dickson, Managing Director, Robertson Construction Tayside, said: "In addition to giving back to a much-loved community group, this volunteering initiative provided the opportunity for the young people to manage their own project. This was not only an initiative that supported a local group working for the wider community but a real chance to have some practical continued learning and development.

"Here at Robertson, we have a strong commitment to the development of our young people. We are devoted to recruiting, supporting, developing, and retaining young people in order for them to reach their full potential and achieve their career aspirations. Well done to our Tayside young people for the successful delivery of an excellent community project."

The works which are already making a big difference to Campy Growers are in line with the Robertson 2030 Responsible Business Strategy. By 2030 Robertson will have enhanced the lives of 10,000 people, by creating work placements and job opportunities, and by supporting apprenticeships, upskilling and new qualifications. In addition to engaging in communities where they work, creating social value, and enabling inclusive growth.

A special thanks to the Tayside Young People who were involved in this project: Marcus Porter, Hannah Laing, Taylor Docherty, Owen Anderson-Peacock, Kieran Smith, Maia Laing, and Callum Reekie.

People can collect the produce grown by Campy Growers for free from a stall at Camperdown Park every Saturday from 11am to 1pm. The stall also gives visitors of the local community the opportunity to learn about the Campy Growers project and provides recipes on how to use the produce they provide.