Mindenhurst held a community bake sale on Friday 24th September to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support.

The event was held outside of Skanska’s site office with a wonderful spread of sweet treats on offer for local residents and staff. The sale was a big success with a total of £136 raised for MacMillan.

The event was held as part of Macmillan’s Coffee Morning, which sees community organisations all over the UK holding events to raise money for people living with cancer.

Niki Dufour, Mindenhurst’s Community Relations Manager said:

“It was great to see so many people attend our community bake sale and every penny we raised will help MacMillan to support even more people living with cancer.”

Each year Skanska employees receive additional paid leave to support local community organisations based in the areas Skanska operate in. This year, Skanska’s Mindenhurst team has partnered with the Hope Hub and Basingstoke Canal Society.

The Hope Hub is a registered charity working to prevent and end homelessness in Surrey Heath Borough and surrounding areas. Skanska’s Mindenhurst team volunteered with The Hope Hub to sort through donations and prepare food parcels for homeless residents and other vulnerable people.

The Basingstoke Canal Society promotes and campaigns for the sustainable future of the Canal as a navigation and public amenity. Skanska’s Mindenhurst volunteers worked with Society volunteers to remove floating pennywort, which causes significant damage to existing plant life and makes it difficult to navigate the canal.

Leisliane Garcia, Skanska Development Director said:

“Lend-a-Hand Week is a fantastic opportunity for our teams to help give something back to the local communities we operate within. This year our volunteers were able to help vulnerable people access food parcels and help maintain a key natural asset in the area. Skanska is committed to helping to improve our local communities.”

You may have been lucky enough to spot bats flying at sunset. One species of bats that live in Mindenhurst is the Common Pipistrelle. This is the smallest of the UK bats and are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. They have dark, golden-brown fur with a paler underside and a dark mask around the face.

They live in tree holes, bat boxes and sometimes roof spaces of houses, mainly feeding on flies and using echolocation to locate their prey. You will see them until October when they go into hibernation. Trees on site will be assessed from the ground by an ecologist to identify if there are any features on the tree that make it suitable to host a bat roost. Trees that are assessed as having suitability for a bat roost will have dusk and dawn surveys carried out on them to further assess if they contain a bat roost.

Sometimes when trees are tall, it is hard to assess the features from the ground. By climbing trees which are harder to assess from the ground, the ecologists can rule out trees that need to have further surveys carried out. From climbing a few trees, they are able to have a vantage point to assess other trees in the area.

Hall & Woodhouse is delighted to have started work on its newest pub at Mindenhurst. Construction work began in mid-July 2021 and is due to finish in February 2022. The pub will then open its doors and provide a warm “Hello & Welcome” to guests in March 2022. It will be a family-focused venue providing great food, drink and hospitality from breakfast to bedtime.

The pub will be called The Frog at Mindenhurst and takes inspiration (and its name!) from the adjacent pond. The site overlooks the village green and is roughly one acre in size.

The inspiration behind the design of the pub and the chosen materials both reflect the colours of the nearby Listed Church Building and the surrounding natural environment. The aim is to blur the line between the interior of the pub and the outdoors.

Guests will see splashes of green throughout the development, and it will have a contemporary look and feel, in keeping with the local housing being built. Key features include an extensive glazed gable end with an inside/outside fireplace and a large veranda.

Inside will offer everything from a warm bar area with a crackling fire, through to a pantry that’s a great option for coffee and cakes, and a dining area where guests can enjoy fabulous food and while away the hours with good company.

For information on Hall & Woodhouse, please visit www.hall-woodhouse.co.uk.