A beautiful partnership blossomed when teams working on the transformation of the M6 junction 10 roundabout found a way to recycle unwanted wooden pallets and also help local allotment holders mark a huge milestone.
Borneo Street allotments are celebrating their 100th year in the summer and have transformed the pallets into benches and tables – even a banqueting table – to be used in the celebrations.
But it hasn’t stopped there. The 68 donated pallets, which were originally used to deliver concrete blocks to the scheme, have also been turned into planters, fencing and bird boxes at the Walsall allotments.
The pallets had been used by contractors working on the £78 million transformation of the nearby M6 junction 10 which is currently taking place. To tackle congestion at the bottleneck junction, the 50-year-old bridges currently in place across the M6 are being replaced with the new structures, doubling the number of lanes around the junction from two to four.
Contractor John Sisk & Son is carrying out the work for National Highways and Walsall Council who, supported by the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, have joined forces to fund the congestion-busting junction upgrade.
Borneo Street Allotments Association secretary, Chris McCreery, said: “We have a motto here, we waste nothing!
“We used as much of the pallets as we possibly could and the few bits that were left helped fire up the BBQ. We are always grateful for any donations we get as they are put to good use. It is very timely for our centenary year and helping support our planned celebrations.”
Those celebrations include a big centenary party in July and an open day in August which will be open to the community.
Surplus pallets have also been donated to other allotments in the district including Wrexham Avenue Allotments. Liaison Officer Chris Crompton told how they have also been turned into furniture, a seat arbour, ‘cold frames’ for plants and compost bays.
He said: “The pallets have come in very useful and we were more than happy to help recycle them. We can always find use for good wood like that.”
The M6 junction 10 project team are keen to ‘give back’ to the local community while working in the area. Contractors involved in the scheme have donated a total of £2,500 for the Suited for Success scheme.
Suited for Success aims to ensure that no one misses out on an employment opportunity for the want of interview skills or an interview suit. It supplies free one-to-one interview training and employment preparation skills as well as smart clothing.
Representatives from the Birmingham-based charity were presented with the donation at the nearby Boundary Mills store where they purchased smart clothing, some at a discounted rate, for interviews and working life.
National Highways Project Manager, Annie Hyett, said: “We appreciate the patience of the local community while we carry out these much-needed improvements and understand that any roadworks can cause some disruption.
“So if the scheme can help out the community in any way we are happy to do so. It is fantastic to see our disused pallets being recycled and put to good use in such ingenious ways.
“And we are grateful to all of the contractors on the scheme who have made such a generous donation to support the excellent work of the Suited for Success charity.”