ELBA team lead by example in Mile End Park

Each year here at ELBA we support over 8,000 volunteers to get out, about and active in the local community taking part in team challenges – opportunities to work together in a team to support a local community resource or organisation, with tasks that help those organisations to continue to support the local community.

As well as having an important impact in the community, these activities are always fun and provide volunteers who usually spend most of their time inside, often behind a desk and computer, with a day doing something completely different. At ELBA we like to practise what we preach and so every so often, the whole ELBA team comes together to take part in a team-building, fun activity themselves.

Closing the office for the day, this November saw the ELBA team out in force at Mile End Park. Mile End Park is a great space in east London, located in the borough of Tower Hamlets. It is 32 hectares in size and consists of a play area for children, an ‘Ecology Park’ including a lake, ecology building, wind turbine and climbing wall, an Arts Park, a ‘Green Bridge’, sports facilities and even a stadium.

The team had a mountain of a challenge at Mile End Park – they had over 20,000 bulbs to plant, over 40 tonnes of wood chip to shovel across the park and a further 200 geraniums to plant. Just under 30 ELBA staff undertook the challenge and it was a great team success, with all tasks completed by the end of the day, and even time for a short on-site pizza-break at lunchtime!

The work completed by the ELBA team was an important element of the upkeep of the park, and help maintain its vital habitats for wildlife. The park is served by only one full time worker and if it wasn’t for volunteers, the park would not be the loved and vibrant community space it is today.

Are you interested in taking part in a team challenge with your colleagues? Contact emily.franklin@elba-1.org.uk.