Each year Willmott Dixon Interiors hosts the ‘Trainee Challenge’. Our Management Trainee’s lead to deliver a project which will leave a legacy in the local community. This is in support of the aims of the Willmott Dixon Foundation and our 2030 sustainability strategy, ‘Now or Never’.
The Challenge is delivered through donated time, materials, and money from Willmott Dixon Interiors, their Supply Chain Partners and Consultants. This year, Abi Inskip, Design Management Trainee, has been chosen to lead the Challenge titled ‘The Power of Green’.
“The projects will help an array of people across the Borough of Waltham Forest and Alum Rock in Birmingham by encouraging them into outdoor spaces that are accessible to those who may not have previously had access to green space. Spending time outdoors, gardening and looking after animals can have massive physical and mental benefits which will support the local communities.” – Abi Inskip, leader of Willmott Dixon Interiors’ Trainee Challenge 2022.
The first project will be carried out at Langthorne Park. The Walthamstow Toy Library and Play Centre is situated here, and they run Leytonstone Toy Library. The E17 Toy Library runs a site where they host support play sessions from a rented pavilion. Willmott Dixon Interiors will be renovating the kitchen, building planters, and cleaning up the park’s amphitheatre. As a part of this, a session with families using the E17 Toy Library will be run where children and parents can spend time painting the planters that will be in the park for growing food. Helen Crockford, Director for the E17 Toy Library has said “We are so grateful for Willmott Dixon Interiors to be doing some projects with us.”
Above – Langthorne Park before our Management Trainee’s work on the area
The second project will be delivered at Project Zero which is a community space set up to reduce knife and violent crime in Walthamstow. Willmott Dixon Interiors will be creating an outdoor space for the community to spend time, play sports and socialise as well as redecorating two indoor rooms for the centre. In partnership with LBWF, Willmott Dixon Interiors will also be hosting work experience for Groundworks. Stephen Barnabis, founder of Project Zero, along with an array of staff members, run employability sessions, host alternative provision learning and run sessions during school holidays. This is to prevent gang involvement and support young people to one day reach a year where there are zero deaths from knife and violent crime.
Above – Project Zero’s Mobile Youth Venue
The third project will be with the SEN school Lime Academy near Blackhorse Road which has a large field that is currently unused. Willmott Dixon Interiors will be creating a school farm to house chickens and ducks, adding planters throughout for agriculture lessons and creating a large sensory garden for students. This addition will feed into the school’s curriculum, as well as supporting students’ mental health and wellbeing by encouraging them outside and supporting time with animals. Assistant Head George Lambrou has said “Our vision is to shape lives one lesson at a time and there is no better opportunity for our learners than to be able to experience a farm in house here at William Morris.”
Above – Lime Academy
The fourth project will be running at Norton Hall Family & Children’s centre in Alum Rock, Birmingham with the support of the Willmott Dixon Interiors Midlands Office. Here, Willmott Dixon Interiors will be creating a memorial garden and clearing up an outdoor space for the community to spend time in.
Above – Norton Hall before our Management Trainee’s work on the area
Willmott Dixon Interiors will be running a Social Enterprise and Small Local Business fair on the 12th of August to celebrate the work done. If you would like to have a stall at this event, please send your details to abi.inskip@willmottdixon.co.uk for more information.