Staff from the Leeds Building Society joined Wallsend Parks’ regular Wednesday volunteers to clear litter and get the parks ready for summer. 

The 14 colleagues from the direct mortgages team were taking advantage of the Society’s volunteering scheme, which allows all employees a day’s paid leave each year to help in the community.

One of the Society volunteers was Trevor Garside, Leeds Building Society’s head of distribution strategy, who said: “We had a fantastic day which involved getting stuck in with various tasks such as moving willow trees, planting bluebells and wild garlic, feathering trees and general tidying up.

“There was a great atmosphere on the site and a real sense of community spirit in what was being achieved.

“The end result was a more attractive environment for the residents of Wallsend to enjoy.”

Emma Armstrong-Smith, park warden at Wallsend Parks, said: “The volunteers arrived and worked right throughout the day with smiles on their faces.

“This volunteering work is important due to the increased popularity of Wallsend Parks.

“The feel-good factor was rife in the volunteers, and they’ve made a vast improvement to the Wallsend Parks area which I’m sure all the visitors and regular users will notice.”