A417 Missing Link our work in the local community
We want to make a positive difference for communities living near our roads, especially where we’re carrying out works. Here are some of the ways we've supported local communities around our A417 Missing Link scheme.
Supporting Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC)Junior Hearts programme
We're helping GWAAC provide lifesaving education and equipment to 571 schools across Gloucester, Bath and North East Somerset and Bristol.
We've donated £10,000 to allow GWAAC and Bristol design agency Hook Studio to create the ‘Junior Hearts’ CPR teaching programme.
CPR - cardiopulmonary resuscitation - can save a life when the heart stops beating or is too weak to pump blood. There are over 3000 cardiac arrests in the South West of England every year. The out-of-hospital survival rate is less than one in 10.
GWAAC is called to more cardiac arrests than any other type of incident.
Junior Hearts gives children valuable CPR lifesaving skills using:
- training videos
- infographic pillowcases
- digital teaching resources
GWAAC are trialling learning programme, with early signs of success. Participating shcools, like Whitminster Endowed C of E Primary have welcomed the funding and resources we've helped provide.
Alison Parry-Jones, Headteacher at Whitminster Endowed C of E Primary, said:
“Being part of the programme means we are giving the children the confidence to perform CPR in a safe environment. You never know when you’ll be needed to perform CPR.
“If we can give our children the tools to set them up to help one person, then we as a school have done our job.”
Kate Amor, Public Education Coordinator at GWAAC, said:
“We’re thrilled to be working in partnership once again with National Highways. Their valued support is helping us provide Year six teachers with a comprehensive lesson plan and supporting information, so they can equip students with effective skills in CPR and how to use a defibrillator.
“The programme complements the Heartstarters sessions we already run in secondary schools. We know that the more opportunities a child has to learn these vital lifesaving skills, the more confident they will feel using them in an emergency.
"We’d like to thank Hook Media also, for their incredible support with the pillowcase designs and more."
James Hopkins Trust
James Hopkins Trust (JHT) provides free nursing respite care for life-limited and life-threatened young children.
Based at Kites Corner, Gloucestershire, JHT is mainly funded by fundraising and donations.
We've provided JHT with £10k to:
- help the charity operate day to day
- enhance the specialist care that it provides
Specialist care keeps children comfortable, entertained and stimulated while at Kites Corner. But it's just as important for families too - giving them the space and freedom to create lasting memories together.
Sarah Nash, Charity Manager for the James Hopkins Trust, said:
“The team at JHT are so very grateful to everyone at National Highways for providing us with this fantastic funding opportunity.
“As you can imagine, any spending is very closely monitored and with the majority of our funds being spent on wages and the day-to-day running of the Trust, this leaves very little to spend on updating necessary equipment and provisions.
“The £10,000 which was very generously granted to us, allowed us to purchase some much-needed items to maintain the safe upkeep of the building and also some wonderful new play items including the amazing new play kitchen which has already received a lot of love from the children who have been cooking up a storm.”
Birdlip Garden Cooperative (BGC)
We also helped Birdlip Garden Cooperative (BGC) with £10K funding for:
- new hand tools
- small mechanical equipment
- Personal Protective Equipment and workwear
Many areas in Birdlip can be swamped by vegetation, like brambles. Left uncontrolled, this can make footpaths impassable and hazardous. The equipment we funded will help the BGC manage the problem.
It will also help the BGC will also improve local biodiversity by planting native wildflowers, shrubs and trees
Elaine Lavington, from Birdlip Garden Cooperative, said:
“These much-needed tools will allow our volunteers to clear and maintain the overgrown and littered verges for years to come. Although still in the early days of our project, residents and visitors have already commented on the remarkable improvement to the area.
“In the coming months, we anticipate planting native hedgerows and wildflowers to further improve the area and encourage more wildlife.”
Brockworth Youth Club
Our funding has also helped Brockworth Youth Club with sport, cycling, stage and kitchen equipment.
Run by Brockworth Link, the club supports young people across Brockworth as well as Witcombe, Birdlip and Shurdington. All these villages are near our A417 Missing Link scheme.
Charlotte Mills, Brockworth Youth Club Manager, said: “The A417 grant has had a huge impact on the young people of Brockworth and those who use services at the community centre and library.
“The Bike stand has meant that people in Brockworth have been able to fix and maintain their bikes, so it has enabled accessible and sustainable transport.
"The young people have really enjoyed using the sports and kitchen equipment, from football matches to making sorbets. Their confidence has really grown in the areas of art and entertainment.
“The grant has allowed the young people to have the use of a wonderful stage, lighting and sound system. Friendships have formed when carrying out workshops such as ready steady cook and dance, this has helped with social impact in the area.”
We've also funded Brockworth Parish Council with:
- £10K for six new benches across the area
- £5K for Brockworth Comunity Library, helping to buy 300 new books and a colour printer
