TV presenter digs deep for West Lothian garden project

Mar 11 2010 by Debbie Hall, West Lothian Courier

TV presenter digs deep

SKY Sports Scottish Premier League presenter Jim White got his hands dirty at the Howden Walled Garden this week to help restore the 16th century attraction to its former glory.

It was one of six community projects that will be open to 2500 Sky staff across Scotland over the next 18 months.

Permanent employees at the company’s contact centres across Scotland will be offered the opportunity to take part in the scheme for one day on full pay.

The activities that volunteers will be participating in include planting trees to create an orchard, working on outdoor areas for schools, restoring cycle and BMX tracks, garden makeovers and conservation work.

The scheme is being run in partnership with six charities as well as West Lothian Council, Fife Council and Scottish Business in the Community and the projects will focus on improving the local environment for the benefit of communities around the three main Sky sites in Dunfermline, Livingston and Uddingston.

Jim White commented: “I think it’s fantastic that a big business like Sky who are so important to the area in terms of employment are now also making a wider contribution to the community.”

Heath Brown, Scotland’s corporate development manager for BTCV, one of the six charity partners, said: “The redevelopment of the Howden Walled Garden would not be possible without the help of Sky and their new staff volunteering scheme.

“Once completed, the garden will make a huge difference to the lives of the local people and the patients at the nearby St John’s Hospital.”

And Chris Stylianou, deputy managing director of operations at Sky, added: “The volunteering project will give our Scottish staff a great opportunity to make a difference to their local communities.

“Importantly for Sky, community volunteering also allows staff to develop and improve vital skills outside of the office environment.”