Sainsbury’s Volunteers celebrate 150 years in the business by volunteering at the station

Sainsbury’s store celebrates 150 years in the business this year and have allowed their Colleagues to make suggestions about how to celebrate. Local Midsomer Norton Colleagues decided they would like to make a difference in the community and have volunteered for a gardening project at the Heritage Railway. The events at the station on Silver Street are becoming a family institution but it is entirely run by volunteers so they need all the help they can get.
The gardens team at the Somerset and Dorset Heritage Railway have been extending the front border gradually and the Sainsbury’s volunteers are going to fill up with soil and compost to the end and then plant with bee friendly and drought resistant plants.
Store manager Wendy Langridge said
When we had authorisation to be able to Volunteer at the Station we were all really excited. We came up for a coffee and a chat about the project and our keen volunteers have already made very good progress. We are coming up on Mondays when the garden team are there thanks to Sainsbury’s donating our time there.
Gail Coleshill from the Gardens Team was very impressed by their first day of work.  She said
“I couldn’t believe how much they did on the first day. I was wondering if I had given them something too difficult with a lot of earth moving – but the Sainsbury’s volunteers attacked it with gusto."
Visitors can come up and see the gardens work progressing at the next event at the station on the weekend of July 13th and 14th  when trains are running or August 10th and 11th which includes a family fun day. Diesel pulled on the Saturday and steam hauled on the Sunday. Everything else at the station will be open too.
Photo shows Left to Right – Liz Symes, Store Manager – Wendy Langridge, Karen Benger, Jan Jewell, Sara Tomlinson, Paul Baker (At Back)