A UK railway contractor, alongside volunteers, has been supporting the local community of Lydney.

QTS Group, which provides services in areas including vegetation management, drainage and fencing, spent a week with volunteers at the Victoria Centre, which provides vital services for the elderly community.

Employees installed and painted fences, jet-washed paths, and tidied gardens to create a safer environment. Volunteers from the firm also visited the Dean Forest Railway Society, helping its team carry out essential de-vegetation works at the heritage site,

Glynis Halling, Chairman of the Victoria Centre in Lydney, said: “Everyone at the Victoria Centre is so grateful to QTS Group for the amazing work they’ve done in our garden. The whole area has taken on a new life; it’s so smart, fresh and welcoming for our service users.

“The work completed by Toby and his team would have cost us around £2,000, which would have meant months of fundraising or applying for grants, so we’re absolutely thrilled with what’s been achieved.”

Neighbouring communities of Lydney were also helped. The team worked on the nearby rail infrastructure at the Severn Estuary on behalf of Network Rail Wales and Borders, to improve the resilience of the railway.

Gary Burnett, Regional Director for QTS Group said: “At QTS, we always aim to give something back to the neighbourhoods we are working in, leaving a positive lasting impression long after projects have completed.

“Working with these local organisations has been a real highlight for our teams. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the positive difference our efforts are already making for the community, and we’re looking forward to delivering more in the coming months with both our engineering works and our community activations.”

QTS said the work forms part of a wider mission to deliver safe, sustainable rail infrastructure projects while creating measurable benefits for local people, communities, and the environment.