McLaughlin & Harvey aims to create a positive legacy in every town we work in, and we were thrilled to celebrate our works at Kilbirnie town centre last week.
We are currently working within the local area as part of our works on the Upper Garnock Flood Protection Scheme on behalf of North Ayrshire Council. The scheme will provide flood protection and benefit the communities of Kilbirnie, Glengarnock, and Dalry.
The flood protection measures in Kilbirnie comprise of the formation of earth bunds, and the reconstruction of a section of the existing masonry retaining wall.
Two of our subcontractors, McKee Ltd and Moore Concrete, have sponsored two recycled benches that have been provided by Radio City’s Garnock Valley Trails project, which aims to promote a positive physical and mental health.
Café Solace, a community café that helps recovering addicts to get back into work by gaining transferable skills through volunteering at the café, provided the refreshments on the day of the event.
A third sector organisation, Eadha Enterprises, has also been approved to add value to the landscaping when the works are completed at Kilbirnie town centre with the planting of native trees, bushes and flowers.
Adrian Pollock, Contracts Manager at McLaughlin & Harvey said, “McLaughlin & Harvey support North Ayrshire Council’s Community Wealth Building objectives including investing in local communities and enhancing local wellbeing. The legacy project at Kilbirnie as part of the Upper Garnock Flood Protection Scheme will encourage biodiversity and promote the local community’s physical and mental health.”
Councillor Jim Montgomerie, Cabinet Member for Green New Deal and Sustainability commented, “The Upper Garnock Flood Protection Scheme is not just a project to deliver flood protection - it’s a project that puts our Community Wealth Building approach into action by providing opportunities for local people, groups and businesses to benefit from the multi-million pound investment. We are therefore delighted to see this latest step by McLaughlin & Harvey to involve our communities in the creation of a lasting legacy for the project.”
Robert Hobbs of Radio City Association, said, “We are delighted to contribute to the Upper Garnock Flood Prevention Scheme, as an organisation we know all too well the cost of flooding after the Radio City building itself was flooded in 2008. We also recognise the commitment to Community Wealth Building that McLaughlin & Harvey have demonstrated during the project in their co-operation with us to develop our plans for the ‘Electric Valley’ in addition to providing local people and businesses with new opportunities for work.”
Peter Livingstone, CEO of Eadha Enterprise, also commented, “Eadha Enterprises are delighted to have the enthusiastic support of McLaughlin & Harvey to enable us to work with local communities in North Ayrshire to enhance the biodiversity value of their construction sites.”
Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and resources.