Construction company Amentum based at AWE Aldermaston donates £4,000 to The Hurst School in Baughurst to support wellbeing initiatives

A construction company based at AWE has raised more than £4,000 for The Hurst School in Baughurst after a year of dedicated fundraising events.

Global construction services business Amentum has been collaborating with the school due to the two organisations sharing a passion for wellbeing.

Amentum places a strong emphasis on staff wellbeing across four areas (physical, emotional, financial, and social), while The Hurst School has its own dedicated wellbeing centre.

The £4,000 cheque was presented to Bea, Freya, and Hope, who shared with the Amentum team how the centre has supported them.

Ross Billing, the environment health and safety (EHS) lead for non-nuclear engineering partnerships at Amentum, said: “It has been a pleasure to work closely with The Hurst School.

“Their commitment to the welfare of their pupils is unparalleled, and they should be extremely proud.

“The wellbeing centre offers invaluable support for children facing challenges and promotes mental health awareness.

“Meeting the pupils who benefit from this facility when presenting our cheque was an honour; they are a credit to the school.

“The EHS team thoroughly enjoyed our fundraising events, and I can speak on behalf of them all when I say we look forward to continuing our support in the future.”

Fundraising activities at the school included a mental health and awareness day with a cake sale, and Amentum employees manning the barbecue at the school’s summer fete.

Internally, Amentum raised money through its weekly ‘Pink Thursday’ initiative, where staff wear a pink item of clothing to highlight mental health awareness.

The Hurst’s deputy head Sally Coneley said: “We are grateful to Amentum for their support and fundraising efforts.

“The money raised will allow us to train another member of staff as an ELSA [emotional literacy support assistant], who will work with students experiencing emotional, social, or behavioural difficulties.

“We will also be able to fund additional wellbeing interventions, and ultimately be able to support more students.”