Munster Express Online

Congratulations to Dunhill Rural Enterprises Ltd for seeing off competition from more than 1000 other entrants to secure €8,600 of B&Q products and support from local employees in B&Q’s brand new community One Planet Living Awards.

B&Q’s One Planet Living Awards invited community-based groups and organisations from the UK and Ireland to submit a proposal outlining what they would do with up to €15,000 of B&Q products to support one of the following themes in their local community: the environment/energy saving, natural habitats/wildlife or local culture/heritage.

Dunhill Rural Enterprises Ltd from Waterford demonstrated a clear vision for how winning the B&Q products would enable them to develop a sensory trail and community garden at the Integrated Constructed Wetlands. The proposal wowed the Awards panel and as a result Dunhill Rural Enterprises Ltd has been awarded €8,600 of B&Q products to make its dream a reality.

Dunhill Rural Enterprises Ltd is a community based charity set up to create jobs in the local community. In recent years, the enterprise park has created 80 new jobs and several new businesses have opened.

The B&Q One Planet Living Award of €8,600 will be used to develop a sensory trail and community garden at the Integrated Constructed Wetlands [which treat waste-water organically from the park and Dunhill GAA] with seating, plants and information boards and to collect rainwater and compost waste. A storage shed for the gardening tools and resources will also be purchased. This funding will enable Dunhill Ecopark to host school and community planting days and special events.

Commenting on the Award, Samantha Richardson, Environment Manager from Dunhill Ecopark says “We are absolutely delighted to have won a B&Q One Planet Living Award. The materials and resources that B&Q have awarded will enable us to make a real difference to our local environment. The changes we implement will not only reduce our impact on the planet but help to educate our local community about One Planet Living – we cannot wait to get started!”

Craig Verdon from B&Q Mini Warehouse Waterford says: “The One Planet Living Awards is another example of B&Q’s commitment to sustainability. This goes beyond simply selling energy saving products. It is about engaging local communities and schools to actively get involved to develop their own projects to support the move towards a one-planet, not a three-planet way of life.

We are delighted that a project in Dunhill has won an award and look forward to welcoming them into our store and supporting them in their project”.