Colleagues from housebuilder Vistry Group donned their boots and gardening gloves to help spruce up the gardens at a National Trust property near Ashbourne in Derbyshire.
The team of five employees from Vistry Housebuilding Mercia, which is based in Stafford, volunteered their time to spend the day working in the gardens at The Old Manor in Norbury.
Working alongside the venue’s regular volunteers, the Vistry staff cleared away tonnes of fallen leaves to give the grass underneath a chance to grow and make the pathways easier to walk on. They also carried out some weeding in the manor’s knot garden.
Freya Halsall, marketing manager for Vistry Mercia, said: “Volunteering is a great way of giving back to the local community and that’s something which is extremely important to us at Vistry. Norbury Old Manor is one of the closest National Trust properties to our Mercia head office and is a popular attraction with local people and those visiting the area.
“Although it was a wet day, we threw ourselves into the task with enthusiasm and made a real difference by clearing away all those soggy leaves. We remained in good spirits and kept each other motivated throughout the day.
“It was good to able to support the efforts of the regular volunteers who keep the grounds looking pristine throughout the year. All of us found it a rewarding and worthwhile experience.”
The grounds of the medieval hall are almost entirely looked after by volunteers with the support of staff from the garden team who work at The Children’s Country House at Sudbury.
Vistry staff joined in with a range of tasks, led by National Trust gardener Josh Armitage.
Sophie Walters, senior volunteering and community officer for The Old Manor and The Children’s Country House, said: “Working together the team supported by Vistry were able to shift several tonnes of soggy leaves.
“We’d like to say thank you to the Vistry staff for volunteering their time to help out. We hope they had a great time seeing some of our important conservation work in action and having a sneak peek inside an old and significant building while it was closed to visitors.”
The Old Manor is open to the public on Thursdays from 11am to 2pm from May until late September.
For information on volunteering for the National Trust, visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/support-us/volunteer/volunteer-with-us.
Vistry Mercia is building properties under its Bovis Homes and Linden Homes brands at the Partridge Walk development off Stone Road in Stafford.