ATHLETE SHELTER
TAKE SHELTER
It was while I was taking a break at work, during the mini heatwave we had earlier this year, I first noticed an old bike shed in the factory car park. Having never seen it there before, I straight away assumed the company I work for (WestRock) had bought a replacement and that this old one was waiting for a trailer to take it away.
As the Yate AC webmaster, I was already aware the athletic club were looking for more athlete shelters, as I had only recently just written a Fundraising page. So I decided to ask the new Plant Manager, Clive Riley, if WestRock would consider donating it to Yate Athletic Club. Buoyed with the knowledge Clive was a sports fan and that I had recently seen an article in a WestRock newsletter entitled “STRONG COMMUNITIES INSPIRE US” that went on to say
“At WestRock, caring about our communities is part of who we are as a company and directly mirror our values around integrity, respect, accountability and excellence. We believe in giving back to the communities where our employees live, work and play and encourage our employees to be engaged in their community as well”.
IF YOU DON’T ASK, YOU DON’T GET
Thankfully, Clive seemed very receptive to the idea and agreed to donate the shelter to the athletics club.
I personally very much wanted to make sure we thanked WestRock for this act of kindness and immediately thought we need to have some kind of placard that said “This shelter was very kindly donated by WestRock”, but wasn’t too sure limited club funds should be spent in this way. After talking to a few colleagues it emerged local company Sprint Print did some work for WestRock and would be worth approaching.
Well, just the name alone, SPRINT PRINT, gave me another idea. If ever there was a sponsors name that was made for the club, it had to be this one!
Maybe if I told them they could have a full advertising space in an arena that usually sees thousands of people a year, they might create the thank you poster I wanted?
I approached Ben Skuse, the owner of Sprint Print and amazingly he agreed to help me.
The results of Bens work can clearly be seen in this striking photograph!
THANK YOU
Whilst Ben visited YOSC to take measurements, I (very cheekily) asked him if he would also consider putting the words YATE AC across the two new athlete shelters we had purchased for the top of the home straight. Amazingly, Ben agreed!
All of this work is a fantastic asset to Yate athletic club and the complex and create a great first impression for anybody entering the facility.
I cannot thank WestRock and Sprint Print enough for their generosity during these extremely testing financial times. It goes to show, there are still people willing to support their local community.
MATT SPICER
By way of a thank you, if at all possible, may I recommend you consider using Sprint Print for any of your future printing requirements.
They are specialists in:
- Brochures
- Posters
- Leaflets
- Flyers
- Stationary
- Large format printing
- Signage
- Pull up banners
- Garment printing
Website: https://www.sprint-print.co.uk/
The factory in Woodward Avenue, Yate was built in 1991.
Initially built and owned by Mead Packaging, the ownership of the plant changed, following a merger with the WestVaco group, to form MeadWestvaco.
Following a further merger of MeadWestvaco and RockTenn five years ago, the factory has been successfully operating under the name WestRock, one of the largest producers of paper and packaging in the world.
Employing around 100 people from the neighbouring communities, it has been producing premium cartons for several “Blue Chip” companies such as Coca-Cola, Guinness, Thatchers, Robinsons and Heineken.
Website: https://www.westrock.com/
