Green fingered volunteers receive support

A Shropshire insurance broker is once again backing a local organisation that works hard to maintain one of the county’s finest parks.

Henshalls, which has its head office in Newport, is supporting the Friends of Telford Town Park by paying for their annual public liability insurance for the next 12 months.

Managing director Mark Freeman said it was the sixth year in a row that the company had offered to cover the cost of the vital insurance policy that was crucial for a location that is so popular with the public.

“Our aim as a local company is to support causes and organisations that make a real difference in the community, and the volunteers from the Friends of Telford Town Park are a perfect example of the groups we work with.

“Their efforts are incredible in the work they put in to maintain such a valuable green area in the heart of Telford. They deserve all the help we can offer to allow them to continue operating safely and legally, and that’s why we decided to cover the cost of their policy so they can have total peace of mind.”

FOTTP chairman Adrian Smith has only taken over the reins this year, and said the support from Henshalls was very much appreciated.

“Support from local companies like Henshalls is the key to ensuring our programme of maintenance can be carried out regularly and efficiently.

“Thanks to Henshalls covering our policy costs, we don’t have to worry about keeping the cover up-to-date or whether we’ll have to dig deep to find extra finances to pay for it ourselves. In a time when everyone is dealing with a difficult economy, it’s reassuring to know that we won’t need to raise even more cash to cover our insurance liabilities.”

FOTTP began in 2003 as a group of three people who all felt that the park needed some extra care and attention. The group was formally constituted in 2004, and currently consists of over 20 members from all walks of life.

The volunteers are involved in many different activities throughout the park’s 400 acres including gardening, hedge laying, scrub clearing, promotional events, installing bat and bird boxes, and other general environmental maintenance work.

The FOTTP assist with the upkeep of the award-winning park with a team of volunteers looking after the Chelsea and Maxell Gardens and beyond. Around 700,000 people visit the park every year and it is thought to be one of the largest urban town parks in Europe.

Henshalls is part of Brown and Brown Inc, the fifth largest insurance broker in the world.

Pictured: from left, Lucy Sutton from Henshalls with Kevin Smith and Chris Pettman