A team of volunteers from the Leicester office of the law firm Howes Percival LLP donned wellies and wet weather gear to plant more than 2,000 bulbs on the banks of the Grand Union Canal in the city.
The team from Howes Percival, which included solicitors and support staff, spent Saturday on the back-breaking task on the riverbank at Western Boulevard, yards from their office at Bede Island.
The volunteering day to help Leicester City Council’s riverside rangers team is the latest in a long-running campaign to improve the city’s green environment. Howes Percival employees have been working with the riverside rangers for more than two and a half years.
Howes Percival associate solicitor Dave Jones organised the bulb planting team. He said: “Our days with the riverside rangers are always very popular with Howes Percival employees who really enjoy the work, which is hard but fun.
“We planted 2,000 bulbs, including daffodils and bluebells, and the great thing is the location is by the entrance to the business park where our offices are. We’ll be able to enjoy seeing the flowers every working day through the spring.”
The team spent five hours on the planting, plus some rubbish clearing, and the following Monday morning discussions in the office included how lucky they were with the weather and how many people had the odd blister or two. Dave Jones said: “We got a really decent day in terms of the weather, which is most unusual for us as it normally buckets down on our volunteering days. The tea and coffee kept coming all day, as did the biscuits, so everyone was in good spirits.”
The Howes Percival team were guided by Adrian Lane, senior riverside officer at Leicester City Council. Dave Jones said: “Adrian has been a godsend for the riverside, and is great company during the work. We will be back in the spring to use boats for more cleaning up of the waterways in Leicester.”