Stone donation provides foundations for wellbeing project

A stone donation from our Batts Combe quarry has provided the foundations for a new community garden being developed near Axbridge.

The Batts Combe team worked with members of local charity group Axe Valley Men’s Shed at their Shortlands site, on the outskirts of the village, to deliver and lay around 30 tonnes of stone chippings in three separate areas within the 4-acre plot as part of a project to transform the site into a ‘Shed’ and landscaped outdoor space to encourage social connections and improve wellbeing.

The material supplied by Batts Combe has provided a base for a concrete garage – for storing tools – been used to top-dress an area for cars to park and improve a driveway track for easier access to the site.

John McQueen, Axe Valley Men’s Shed, said: “Our ‘Sheds’ provide a place for members to pursue and share practical skills and interests, such as gardening, while helping them to build friendships and reduce isolation as well as improve mental and physical welling. We are extremely grateful to the Batts Combe team for their donation of material and equipment and for rolling up their sleeves to support the work we are doing at Shortlands.”

Batts Combe unit manager Simon Parkes added: “Mental health is very close to the heart of Heidelberg Materials and we were delighted to help with laying the foundations for this project, which will provide a fantastic space for people within the communities of Axbridge and Cheddar to connect.”