Hours of volunteering pledged as Great Park Auction returns

More than 3,600 hours of volunteering hours have been pledged by companies in a bid to reinvigorate four of Darlington’s much loved parks.

The Great Park Auction, organised by Darlington Cares, saw five companies pledge a total of 3,650.5 employee volunteering hours to work in The Denes, Stanhope Park, Eastbourne Park and Fryers Field.

Under the direction of auctioneer Pete Barron, companies competed against each other at the event at the Theatre Hullabaloo, to commit their staff time to helping improve the areas.

Working with the council and the parks’ Friends groups, the volunteer teams will put their green fingers to the test rejuvenating the areas in the parks that are most in need of care and attention.

EE pledged 1,300 hours to The Denes, The Darlington Economic Campus and Redde Northgate donated 700 hours to Stanhope Park, Cummins offered 1,300.5 hours to Eastbourne Park and The Education Village, EE and The Darlington Economic Campus volunteered 350 hours to work in Fryers Field.

Angela Howey, chair of Darlington Cares, said: “The auction was a great success, and I am so grateful to the businesses who have pledged to help our parks.

“We are all so busy and I appreciate how valuable everyone’s time is so to have this commitment from these businesses and their staff is amazing and I can’t wait to see what a difference they make.”

Jonathan Dulston, leader of the council, said: “Thank you to Darlington Cares and its members for this great event and for ensuring our parks will be looked after and improved in the coming months.

“Keeping Darlington looking its best is everyone’s responsibility and I hope this inspires other people to do their bit to keep our local environment looking its best.”

The auction was last run in 2018 when 921 volunteers ended up donating 3,376 hours – way in excess of the winning bids pledged by their companies.

To find out more about the work of Darlington Cares, its members and volunteering opportunities visit www.darlingtoncares.co.uk