• Swindon & Wiltshire Community champions
• Thursday May 26 2022
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Hills helps BBC DIY SOS team pave the way on playground project

An adventure playground in Bristol has been given a new lease of life – thanks in part to Swindon-based firm Hills.

The Ranch, on Bristol’s Southmead estate, was at risk of closure following funding cuts.

Southmead Development Trust, a resident-led charity working to improve health, wellbeing, and employment, took the lease before the pandemic forced the facility to close.

Then in October last year, The Ranch was picked as a project for the BBC show DIY SOS.

The Ranch

Over 10 days presenter Nick Knowles and a team of volunteers were tasked with adding new features, rebuilding the burnt-out Forest School shelter, and clearing an overgrown pond.

Creating a new kitchen and games area in the community space and creating a multi-use games area from dilapidated basketball and football pitch was also on the agenda.

Viewers who tuned in on Tuesday, May 24 saw Hills Quarry Products donate 30 tonnes of Cotswold path gravel to help with the renovations.

Hills Quarry products sales consultant, Andy Shield, who has since retired, visited the site for the big reveal, and met the hard-working volunteers who made the build possible.

He also heard from the Southmead Development Trust team, who expressed their gratitude and highlighted how much the build has meant to the trust who are now able to use the new facilities to generate more income and further help the community.

The episode can be found on the BC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0017pc9