Flintshire Coast Park benefits from Willmott Dixon Support

Flintshire County Council’s Access and Natural Environment Team Coastal Ranger was supported by Willmott Dixon on a staff volunteering day in Flint this month.

The day was part of Willmott Dixon’s commitment to support the local community through Social Value in Flint, where it has been working to build the new Ty Croes Atti care home on the site of the former community hospital. 

On the day, Willmott Dixon staff worked with Coastal Ranger, Mike Taylor, helping to improve seating areas at a Dee Estuary viewpoint in Flint. The volunteers were busy painting gates and bollards, weeding, sweeping, and wheelbarrowing limestone dust around seating areas.  Flint is the main hub in the Flintshire Coast Park, which takes in views of Parkgate and the daily tidal patterns. This is a popular spot for walkers, where a bench was installed through the ‘Off Flint’ project. 

In addition to the staff volunteer day, Willmott Dixon also donated materials to enable the seating area to be improved. 

Councillor Paul Johnson, Cabinet Member for Finance and Social Value, said:

“We warmly welcome social value projects such as this. Social value is increasingly important for everyone.

“In simplest terms, social value is the impact organisations have on local communities and wider society, in terms of local spending through contracts, volunteering, job creation, practical activities and donations. Creating opportunities for positive contributions to people’s well-being alongside private sector business operations, we can facilitate activities like this to improve the local area.

"This is an excellent example of how industry and the public sector can work closely to improve the Flintshire Coast through social value. We hope people will enjoy visiting and enjoying the improved space and taking in the lovely views of the Dee Estuary.”

The volunteer day marked a milestone for Willmott Dixon and for the community of Flint, where the new Ty Croes Atti care home will be complete this summer, providing quality and dedicated later living housing for 56 local residents.

So far during the Ty Croes Atti Care Home development, Willmott Dixon, Flintshire County Council and their partners have created a total of 13 new employment opportunities for local Flintshire residents, including three for those previously long term unemployed and two for prison leavers from HMP. 

Willmott Dixon’s team have spent 214 hours delivering educational initiatives and 223 volunteering hours, supporting local community initiatives. Overall, Willmott Dixon have spent £5.6m of their project spend within Flintshire. 

The contribution from Willmott Dixon follows a series of improvements to ‘Flintshire Coast Park’, which was officially launched in Flint in March this year, at the ‘Festival of the Sea’ event.  Flintshire Coast Park benefited from UK Government Shared Prosperity Funding from 2023 and throughout 2024 to improve the Flintshire Coast Park for the benefit of Flintshire residents and visitors. 

Willmott Dixon Social Value Manager Rosie McLaren said:

“We share Flintshire County Council’s passion for creating opportunities in this community and are passionate that the construction of Ty Croes Atti leaves a lasting positive legacy for local people. In this instance, it’s great to get involved at a practical level, on a project which helps enhance the environment in Flint. Our thanks to Flintshire Access & Natural Environment for welcoming us. It was great to get involved.”

The Coast Park celebrates the rich natural habitat of the Dee Estuary and Flintshire Coastline, the ‘Flintshire Coast Park’ is hugely significant in ensuring people have access to the natural environment, for recreation and to improve their health and wellbeing. 

The Coast Park reaches across the Flintshire coast from Saltney to Talacre, taking in the Northern Gateway and Garden City, Connah’s Quay and Shotton, Flint, Bagillt, Greenfield, Llanerch-y-mor and Mostyn, and Gronant.