Volunteers from AECOM’s Birmingham office spent their recent corporate social responsibility (CSR) days transforming the park’s much-loved Sunken Garden.

Working alongside Walsall Council’s Healthy Spaces team and members of the park’s Friends Group, the AECOM volunteers have helped to restore one of Willenhall’s hidden gems, turning an overgrown area into a welcoming space for visitors to enjoy.

Across two dates in September and October, 10 volunteers focused on improving access, tidying pathways, and brightening up the garden’s features.

Tasks included:

• Cutting back overgrown vegetation and clearing weeds
• Painting and restoring benches to make them more inviting
• Repainting hand railings and improving steps for safer access
• Clearing conifer leaves from the car park

A donation of black masonry paint from Crown Paints helped make the refurbishment possible.

“ This is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when businesses and the community work together.

The AECOM volunteers have made a real difference at Willenhall Memorial Park, helping to restore the Sunken Garden to the welcoming and peaceful space it deserves to be.
“

Councillor Gary Flint, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Health and Wellbeing
Walsall Council

Junara Bibi, Project Manager at AECOM, said, “The experience has been very rewarding for the teams that participated in the CSR days with Walsall Council.

“Not only were we able to give back to the local community and meet our own social value KPIs but we also had the opportunity to meet some great people who were very friendly.

“The day flew by and the feedback from both teams was that it was a great initiative and fun.”

The improvements form part of the council’s ongoing commitment to supporting corporate volunteering through the CSR programme.   

Any business which would like to get involved in Walsall Council’s corporate social responsibility programme can email healthyspaces@walsall.gov.uk for more information.