0800 Repair and Bernicia Homes plant the seeds for eco-friendly initiative

0800 Repair and Bernicia Homes have planted the first seeds for a new community garden, set to transform the playground Dame Dorothy Primary School in Sunderland.

The eco-friendly initiative, launched by the North East based firms is part of a wider funding scheme, which is delivering a major homes energy efficiency upgrade programme for Bernicia.

As a contractor for Bernicia Homes, 0800 Repair is at the forefront of improving energy efficiency for more than 850 Bernicia homes, employing a variety of measures including advanced insulation, air source heat pumps, and solar panel installations.

Plans for the garden include a serene reading corner, educational bug hotels, and a diverse array of trees, all designed to provide hands-on learning opportunities in sustainability and environmental stewardship.

An 0800 social value initiative with Bernicia is funding the secret garden build aiming to plant 3,000 trees in the North East.

Jason Oakes, Sales Director at 0800 Repair said: “We’re excited to be a part of this green initiative alongside Bernicia Homes and helping to foster a culture of sustainability that spreads throughout the community.

“It’s great chatting with the youngsters – you can see in their faces that they are getting a lot out of this through the impact of planting these trees and what the ecological implications are as well with the fruits they bear in the future.”

Steven Adey, Bernicia Head of Tenancy and Neighbourhoods, said: “We had land behind the school which wasn’t being used to its full potential in an area where many of our tenants live with their children attending Dame Dorothy’s school.

“We’ve created a great project with the land repurposed for the community and the school.”