EMPLOYEES of gas supplier SGN have given the recreation ground around Tongham Community Centre a facelift to thank the community for their support while engineers battled to repair flooded gas pipes last year.

In May 2016, water flooded the gas network in the village causing 350 customers in the Surrey village to lose their gas supply. An emergency team from the gas network company’s Aldershot depot used the community centre as their base of operations while engineers worked tirelessly to restore gas supplies.

SGN business performance manager Richard Zapp, who helped organise the project, said: “When we were here last year, we asked if there was anything we could do to say thank you and we were told the community centre car park and recreation ground were in need of a spruce-up.

“We promised then that we would come back and sort them out and that’s exactly what we did!”

The 17-strong team worked tirelessly throughout the day, weeding the flower border and jet washing the car park, trimming borders on either side of the concrete drive, as well as clearing debris from footpaths, the balcony and drive. A tidy-up of trees and shrubs in the recreation ground completed its transformation.

Les Oakley, the chairman of Tongham Parish Council. said: “We are very grateful to SGN for all their hard work. The recreation ground looks fabulous, and was ready just in time for our SAMFEST music festival last Saturday.

“Plus, we’ve already had comments from dog walkers about how well-maintained the area looks.”