HIGHWAY workers took the high road to the top of the South Downs last week to give workers at the Sustainability Centre a helping hand.

Around a dozen volunteers from Amey, which delivers highway and winter maintenance services on behalf of Hampshire County Council, spent the day cutting and bundling willow.

Some of the willow will be turned into baskets and sculptures while it’s also often used in the children’s activities at the independent learning and study centre.

Amey runs a community engagement programme that allows every employee to spend a day volunteering with a charity, group or good cause of their choice.

More than 75 per cent of Amey’s Hampshire workforce took up the offer in 2016, with joint team manager, Kevin Jones, enjoying the change of scenery.

He said: “I spend much of my working day in an office so it was great to get outside and get my hands dirty for a change.

“I was very impressed by the centre’s hands-on approach to sustainability.”

Racheal Arden, Sustainability Centre Volunteer Co-ordinator, said she and her colleagues thoroughly enjoyed working with Amey.

She said: “They are a great bunch and worked tirelessly. Our willow beds are vast, so we really appreciated their help with such a massive task.”

For more details about the Sustainability Centre visit www.sustainability-centre.org