Sizewell C contractors build competition pétanque piste at Eastbridge pub

Sizewell C and five of its supply chain contractors have opened a competition-standard pétanque piste at the Eel's Foot Inn in Eastbridge, built on unused land at the village pub through the project's Site Social Benefits Forum.

Blackwell Earthmoving led the job and carried out the groundworks, Sizewell C said. Teams excavated a 16.5m by 15.5m site, laid specialist aggregate and finishing materials, and installed reclaimed timber borders to form the playing surface.

Hargreaves Mineral Trading supplied the materials, CMT Group provided the timber and waterproofing membrane, Freedom delivered ecological support including a beetle mound, and Flannery supplied the plant.

Rick Watler, Site Delivery Lead at Sizewell C, said: "As a project, we're very aware of the impact we're having on local residents and businesses, which is why it's so important that we leave a positive legacy that extends well beyond the completion of the power station."

How the project started

The work began after Stephen Brett, Chairman of Theberton and Eastbridge Parish Council, approached Sizewell C with a proposal to support the pub and improve facilities for the area's pétanque community, according to the release.

Sizewell C said the piste is designed to host larger regional, national and international competitions. More than a dozen members of the Suffolk Coastal Pétanque Alliance attended the official opening.

Deborah Baker, president of the alliance, said: "so having a piste of this size and quality here in Suffolk means we can now bring larger competitions to the region, which will benefit the pub, our club, and the sport as a whole."

The alliance has also received £10,908 from the Sizewell C Community Fund, administered by Suffolk Community Foundation, to buy team kit, a gazebo and promotional materials.

The Site Social Benefits Forum

Sizewell C said the forum exists to help contractors meet the social value commitments they make on the project by connecting community organisations with companies willing to share expertise, equipment and resources. It meets quarterly to identify projects across East Suffolk.

Since launching a year ago the forum has supported 14 projects, Sizewell C said, including the regeneration of Leiston's BMX pump track and the refurbishment of the 1st Leiston Scouts Group hut. In June 2026 Sizewell C said more than a dozen companies had joined, and that its workforce had given almost 800 hours of volunteering over the previous year.

The BMX track at King George's Recreation Ground, originally built in 2015, was restored in a project announced in July 2026 and coordinated by Jackson Civil Engineering with Toppesfield, Ovenden, Lynch and ATM. Sizewell C's July release named Damian Leydon, its Site Delivery Director, as chair of the forum, while the pétanque release quotes Rick Watler as Site Delivery Lead.

Two of the five piste contractors sit within the same group. Hargreaves Services plc describes Blackwell Earthmoving as its subsidiary and says its Mineral Trading team works with Blackwell. Blackwell, established by Chris Blackwell in 1956, describes itself as an earthworks contractor preparing the ground for construction and infrastructure projects including Sizewell C.

The wider programme

The Sizewell C Community Fund will provide up to £23m over a decade for charities, community groups and social enterprises in East Suffolk, according to Suffolk Community Foundation. Sizewell C said in January 2026 the fund had distributed £3m so far; a year earlier the total stood at £1.4m across 20 projects, including £40,469 to 1st Leiston Scout Group to reclad its hut.

At its two-year construction milestone in January 2026, Sizewell C said almost 2,000 workers were on site and that it had awarded almost £1bn of contracts to East of England businesses and about £3bn to more than 400 British suppliers. The project has a commitment to recruit 1,500 apprentices and reports 166 on the project so far, 111 of them from Suffolk.

Sizewell C said further forum collaborations are already in development, with the group next meeting on its quarterly cycle to select projects across East Suffolk.