After seeing everyone in the community pulling together for the NHS, a Suffolk scrap yard decided it was time to do their bit by brightening up the rubbish and recycling for a good cause.
Sackers Metal and Waste Recycling, which has sites in Claydon and Needham Market, has run skip designing competitions before, supporting local causes such as the East Anglia Children’s Hospice.
Managing director David Dodds was inspired to do something during the coronavirus pandemic to show his support for healthcare workers fighting the deadly disease.
“It came to me in the middle of the night,” he explained.
“I had seen all of the charity bits people were doing for the NHS and I thought; what can Sackers do to support them?
“We’ve done skips before and always make a sizable donation, the natural progression was to get the school kids involved.”
After receiving more than 800 entries for the rainbow trail-themed competition, it was eight-year-old Mason Stewart from Barham who took the lead and won hands down with his colourful design.
It was the idea of his mum, Cathy, to take part in the competition for kids in primary and secondary school and she said: “Mason isn’t particularly arty, but I thought it would be fun.
“He was very excited when he won and it looks really good.
“It’s now sitting in our driveway where it will stay until it’s full and Sackers take it away.”
The Stewart family has invited their neighbours to use the skip too and on Thursday night, after the 8pm clap for the NHS, the whole street did a round of applause for Mason.
His dad Andy and older siblings Connor and Shannon were very impressed with the skip and said they are really proud of the Claydon Primary School boy.
Mr Dodds was pleased with the response to the competition and added: “I am so amazed by the amount of engagement we have received from the competition and we had hundreds of entries which was just brilliant.
“Mason won by so many votes, it was really impressive.
“Also, it wouldn’t have been made possible without Chris Blom from CB Skips and Steve Flory from Hudson Sign Solutions Ltd to bring the magic alive.”
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