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Lawyers dig in to help local school

LAWYERS from Ward Hadaway swapped statutes for secateurs for the day to help build a pond area and bug hotel for a primary school.

A team of 11 from the Leeds office of the UK Top 100 law firm showed off their horticultural skills to help create the development at Hovingham Primary School in Leeds.

The team works – staff from Ward Hadaway's Leeds office pictured during the Give and Gain Day at Hovingham Primary School in Leeds.

The team works – staff from Ward Hadaway’s Leeds office pictured during the Give and Gain Day at Hovingham Primary School in Leeds.

They joined staff from a range of other companies across the city for the project as part of Business In The Community’s annual Give & Gain Day, which sees thousands of people volunteer their services for a charitable project for the day.

The Ward Hadaway team’s task for the day was to clear an overgrown and disused area in the school grounds to create a pond area and a bug hotel to enable pupils to study some of the wonders of nature at first hand.

The team got to work with gusto as part of the 100-plus group of volunteers assigned to the various projects at Hovingham Primary School.

Fuelled by their own enthusiasm, by refreshments from the Friends of Hovingham Primary School and with equipment donated by Homebase in Moor Allerton, the Ward Hadaway volunteers managed to polish off the clearance work by lunchtime before embarking on the pond and bug hotel creation.

Their efforts and those of the other volunteers on the day were gratefully received by the school.

Philip Painter, Head of the Family Team at Hovingham Primary School, said: “From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank you and your volunteers for the amazing work you have undertaken to help create a truly special school environment.

“The children, parents and staff are in awe of the changes which you have all made – our children love how different the school looks.”

Leigh Hawkins, Solicitor in the Social Housing team at Ward Hadaway, and one of the firm’s co-ordinators for the Give and Gain Day, said: “The team had a terrific, if exhausting, day at Hovingham and it is wonderful to hear that our hard work has made such a difference to the school and its pupils.

“Whilst we may be more used to tackling tricky legal problems than battling brambles, we were all quick to get stuck in and it was fantastic to see the difference as the day went on. It is really rewarding to know that our efforts and those of our fellow volunteers are so well appreciated.”

Jamie Martin, managing partner at Ward Hadaway, said: “As a firm, we believe strongly in helping out the communities which we serve and this was an ideal way to do exactly that.

“The team from the Leeds office have done a fantastic job to help create a new environment for the school which I am sure will be enjoyed by pupils for many years to come.”

Michael Harvey, Business Manager at Business In The Community, said: “We are delighted that Ward Hadaway have been involved in Give & Gain in Leeds.

“The Ward Hadaway volunteers made a tremendous difference to the external space by transforming an overrun and useable pond area of the school into an outdoor learning environment for the children.”

Please note that this briefing is designed to be informative, not advisory and represents our understanding of English law and practice as at the date indicated. We would always recommend that you should seek specific guidance on any particular legal issue.

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