Volunteers take up rakes to fight Himalayan Balsam
07 Jul 2010 
West Midlands / Community/Education
Six volunteers from npower’s offices in Oldbury left mobiles and suits at home and donned safety gloves and sun hats, along with liberal dollops of suncream, on one of the hottest days of the year, when they participated in the conservation programme managed by wardens at Leasowes Park in Halesowen.
The group of intrepid protectors of the local, natural environment, spent the day pulling up and destroying the dreaded Himalayan Balsam, a tenaciously invasive weed, which has to be removed by the root before it seeds and spreads. Without the intervention of conservationists, the Himalayan Balsam would make it increasingly difficult for indigenous plants and flowers to grow.
They then went on to rake cuttings off the field so that new seeds can be sown, with the ultimate aim of transforming it into a wild flower meadow.
The team thoroughly enjoyed helping maintain the environment, as Kulvinder Kaur, npower team leader, explained, “Although it was hard work and we were all tired towards the end, it was a great day. The park is beautiful and each of us felt honoured to have been able to help contribute in some, small way.”
npower encourages all its employees to take on volunteering tasks to benefit local communities and the day was run in conjunction with CSV (Community Service Volunteers), who deliver the employee volunteer programme for RWE npower.
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