Skilled volunteers from engineering company Sowga put their practical expertise to the test to help keep foxes away from a primary school’s sensory garden.

The team of four volunteers from Sowga, responsible for maintaining local buildings including York House, drew on their construction skills to design a simple but effective solution in the blazing heat on 28 May 2026.

The volunteers at work in the sensory garden.

Essendine Primary School, based in North Westminster, has been experiencing an ongoing problem with foxes finding their way under the garden’s decking. After assessing the site in advance, the volunteer team purchased treated timber to help them carefully construct bespoke panels to cover the gaps beneath decking, preventing foxes from accessing and settling under the decking.

Volunteers also helped fix gate posts and stabalise screen fencing during the session, which was much appreciated by the school, which only has one caretaker for the whole site.

The volunteers constructing under the decking.

The Sowga volunteer team on a job well done.

The school, which has almost half its pupils (48%) eligible for free school meals, occupies a large Victorian building, however, upkeep of its facilities is a huge undertaking.

Like most primary schools in Westminster, it is experiencing falling pupil numbers which has significant impacts on funding available to the school and makes caring for such a large site all the more difficult.

Huge thank you to the creativity and teamwork from the volunteers for finding a solution to this unique problem.

The activity was arranged as part of our Community Programme which supports Marble Arch BID members to engage in the community. From environmental projects to skill-sharing to coffee mornings, there is something to suit every community engagement plan that creates memorable moments and sustainable impact.