An Isle of Man school has benefitted from an international community day organised by Grant Thornton.
Staff from Grant Thornton’s Island office volunteered to spend a day working at Willaston School as part of a global campaign by the worldwide accounting network.
Every year Grant Thornton dedicates a day in September to supporting communities local to its offices around the world, with staff encouraged to get involved in everything from planting trees to collecting litter. The GT in the Community day highlights the year-round contribution staff make to their communities.
On 23rd September more than 15 Grant Thornton staff from the Isle of Man spent time at Willaston School gardening, painting fences and building learning areas from wooden pallets.
Headteacher Rose Burton explained: ‘At Willaston we believe very much in promoting outdoor learning and to this end we have recently installed an outdoor classroom. The area really needed some additions to provide children with different learning areas, so using a number of pallets, the team from Grant Thornton constructed a learning station and painted learning platforms which now make the area look so much more inviting. They also painted the fencing, to both protect it and brighten up the whole area.
‘Each class has its own garden, which they tend during term time. However, over the summer, it had turned into Willaston jungle, rather than Willaston garden! The team cleared all the weeds, allowing the children’s plants to show to their best. Each class garden is now able to be maintained by the class gardeners.’
She added: ‘We would like to give an enormous “thank you” to all the Grant Thornton team, who worked non-stop. In our drive to build community, we are indebted to the support that is provided from local communities working within school. The children were thrilled and learning outside was even more enjoyable on the following Monday, despite the weather!’
This is the latest community initiative supported by Grant Thornton staff in the Isle of Man. They regularly fundraise for charity, including dress down days, and volunteer to support community projects, such as creating an outdoor learning area at Braddan School over the summer.
Martin Kneale, a director of Grant Thornton in the Isle of Man, said: ‘The GT in the Community initiative underlines the network’s commitment to supporting the societies in which it works. While a specific day is dedicated each year to highlight that work, it is an ongoing commitment which can be seen in countries around the world, including the Isle of Man.
‘Our staff are always quick to support good causes, donating both money and time, and were delighted to be given the opportunity to help Willaston School by enhancing the outdoor learning area. It was a great day, with the team working hard but having tremendous fun, and we’re delighted to hear our efforts have made a difference to the children.’
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