As we wind down towards the end of a strange and unprecedented year, we have the chance to pause for thought about what has passed. It has been a difficult year for many in our communities.
We know of clients that have felt a real sense of isolation this year, as they are on their own and in normal times rely on a support network of weekly visits to the community centre for a game of bingo, a cup of tea and a natter.
We have other clients whose businesses have been adversely affected or have lost their jobs. Some of the people RenewEL work for have been on the frontline, uncomplainingly pulling in double-shifts for the NHS, or going that extra mile to reach out and protect the most vulnerable in society, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the homeless or in mental healthcare.
These are the real heroes that have risen to the top this year, and we salute and thank them and our other clients – public and private – who have admirably coped with the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that 2020 has thrown their way.
We’ve tried to do our bit at RenewEL and have been fortunate that our industry was one of the first to emerge from the torpidity of lockdown. It’s meant that we have had to quickly adopt new working practices, incorporating sensible social distancing, personal protection, and the highest standards of hygiene to work in a Covid-safe manner.
We’re really grateful that we were able to induct several new trainees, who have stayed with us and grown as individuals and employees through the troughs and peaks of the year.
We are also pleased to report that two of our team are currently in professional horticultural training and should graduate next year. We are committed to putting more of our trainees into professional training to qualify with certificates in project management and hard landscaping/construction.
Despite the adversities of the year, RenewEL has been surprisingly busy. We’ve designed, built and maintained a number of new private gardens, constructing water features, laying lawns, building patios, erecting greenhouses and sheds. RenewEL also won a contract from an East London Housing Association to renovate and redesign several community gardens in the borough of Tower Hamlets.
We’re really proud of the work we’ve done this year and have a great sense of satisfaction that in the coming years, we have provided the green space for tens of new gardeners to start a wholesome, healthy and environmentally friendly new pastime. We know from feedback from several of our clients that the green spaces we provided for them have this year been their haven in troublesome times.
We wouldn’t be where we are and have had the chance to touch so many lives either through work and fellowship, or through the spaces we design and maintain without you, our clients, trustees and supporters.
The whole team would like to wish you and your loved ones a peaceful, blessed Christmas and an amazing 2021.
Godbless.
The RenewEL Team.
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