ELBA’s Volunteer of the Month for January 2018 is Mick Ruby of Maylim, nominated for his outstanding work with Evergreen Adventure Playground. Mick truly went above and beyond in his ongoing support of the playground, with the result speaking volumes. 

Evergreen Adventure Playground is an exciting space in Hackney, offering children inclusive and free play with a variety of equipment. Evergreen, like many community organisations, is always on the lookout for grants and funding, and currently have very limited funds which only stretches to pay for playworkers when the children are on site. Because of this, maintenance of the playground is a struggle for the regular team of 2 people, and therefore the work of volunteers is invaluable. In December a team from Maylim, specialists in hard and soft landscaping, who were working on a nearby British Land project, came to lend a hand. Maylim volunteers were able to use their own tools, equipment and specialism to fix some disrepairs that, due to their specialist nature, we couldn’t ask our regular volunteers to undertake. Mick was absolutely key to this work, and ensured that the playground is prepared for winter, providing peace of mind that the equipment can continue to be enjoyed for many years to come.

We caught up with Mick to find out about his volunteering experience:

1) Why did you volunteer? 

The majority of Maylim’s projects are based in London and often in the very heart of a community. We always try to give something back by getting involved and interacting with community or charity projects. As an externals and hard landscaping company in the construction industry, we find that our skills and expertise come in very handy as we can help with the more manual side of things. We were put in contact with ELBA by British Land, our client for the St Helen’s Square Project. ELBA then showed us a selection of community projects and how we could help. We decided that the Evergreen Play Association, a free children’s playground in Hackney, was the best fit for us. The works and maintenance that they required were a great match for our team’s skillset.

2)What did you gain from your volunteering experience?     

We were able to gain an insight into the amazing work that ELBA does for the community in East London. We also gained a great sense of achievement in making a difference to other’s lives. The Evergreen Play Association is an incredible outlet for the local young community to enjoy the freedom of playing outdoors in a safe and fun environment. Knowing the difference our works have made was the biggest reward for us. Our team of volunteers felt great pride being part of this project, a playground which will be enjoyed for many years to come.

3) Would you recommend volunteering to a colleague and if so then why?    

I would definitely recommend it, not only to my colleagues but to everyone I know! I think construction professionals enjoy giving back to the local community. The volunteering options that ELBA offer enable people to use their skills, whatever they are, in order to benefit local communities and charities. Working on the Evergreen Playground is an experience that myself and the rest of my team will never forget and we are already looking forward to our next community project!

A huge thank you to Mick for a brilliant effort and some tremendous results.