KIND-HEARTED employees at a Park Farm business rolled up their sleeves and put their green fingers to work at the Alexandra Hospital on Friday (October 23) as part of the company’s ‘Month of Service’.
Staff from Alcoa Fastening Systems and Rings (AFSR) volunteered their spare time to renovate the garden area of the Alex’s Garden Suite Ward – where patients suffering from cancer receive chemotherapy treatment and dialysis.
The 18-strong Alcoa team assisted the hospital’s gardener in tidying up the garden, planting, providing seating areas and painting benches.
Veronica Rowlands, Sister on the Garden Suite, expressed her gratitude for the help of the Alcoa employees, who were from different sections of the Crossgate Road factory.
“Our patients and their relatives have to sit in the Garden Suite for several hours at a time while receiving their chemotherapy treatment,” she said.
“We hope that the refreshment of the garden area will enhance the experience of our patients and give them somewhere pleasant to go and get some fresh air if needed.”
In addition the Alex’s League of Friends will receive a $10,000 grant from the Alcoa Foundation which was founded 62 years ago and has contributed more than $22 million to non-profit organisations throughout the world.
Todd Emerick, plant manager at AFSR Redditch operations, said: “As a local business, we are happy to help wherever we can – our employees volunteer by giving up their free time and we are very grateful and proud of that.”
