LAND & WATER’S CEO GIVES BACK TO ROYAL CHARTERED CHRIST’S HOSPITAL CHARITY SCHOOL

James Maclean, CEO of leading wet civil engineering firm Land & Water, is helping the school which gave him access to a life-changing education 40 years ago, offering his company’s services to undertake the dredging and restoration of two lakes at the independent school Christ’s Hospital in Horsham.

The Royal Chartered school, which was established in 1552 by King Edward VI, is the UK’s leading charitable school, and largest bursary charity. It actively seeks pupils of potential, who often come from varied and complex backgrounds and provides free or substantially reduced cost places to ensure that children have access to first-class education no matter their background.

Working with its bioengineering arm, Terraqua Environmental Solutions (TES), Land & Water will be carrying out the restoration works as part of the school’s new transformational curricular which places great emphasis on learning skills for life and spending time outdoors, learning new skills and helping them broaden their education. The lakes, which are currently overgrown and in poor condition, will be used for open water swimming, fishing, biology lessons and for cadet force training and other broader curricular pursuits.

Land & Water, alongside its trusted suppliers including Tomato Plant Ltd, Welfare Hire Nationwide, Timbermats and Speedy Asset Services, will be carrying out the works at a reduced cost to support the charity and its commitment towards providing pupils with the best possible preparation for the future. It will also be running the project entirely using HVO fuel, a 90+% net carbon biofuel which substantially reduces carbon emissions compared to conventional gas oil, and is therefore better for the environment.

James Maclean, CEO of Land & Water said: “It is a great honour to be back at the school which gave me such a diverse and transformational education, and to be able to provide the services of Land & Water to enable the current pupils to thrive in an outdoor environment.

“Christ’s Hospital is an extraordinary place. For nearly 500 years it has been the biggest giver of bursary education in the UK and I’m proud to be part of its history which provides hope and confidence to its pupils.

“I want to say thank you to all of our suppliers who are willing to provide their support at a reduced rate, alongside the Land & Water team, some of whom will be volunteering their spare time to help on this project.”

Land & Water will be commencing works at the start of July, during the summer holidays, to ensure minimal disruption to the school and its pupils. As well as dredging works, Land & Water and TES will be carrying out a fish rescue operation, to safely relocate all aquatic life whilst the project is being delivered, alongside landscaping works which includes installing fishing platforms, perimeter paths and light duty tree works.

As a company which looks to maintain and enhance the UK’s waterways, Land & Water is passionate about safeguarding the natural environment for years to come. This includes ensuring the next generation have access to beautiful landscapes and that wildlife habitats continue to thrive.