More than 50 volunteers cleaned up and planted trees and shrubs in the grounds of the Alexander Georgiev-Kodzhakafaliyata primary school in Burgas. They included staff from insurer DZI, teachers, pupils, parents and friends of the company.
The clean-up is part of "Unexpected Good", a nationwide campaign DZI is running to mark its 80th anniversary with 80 volunteer projects in towns across Bulgaria.
Volunteers weeded the flower beds around the school, stripped old flyers and stickers off the fences and planted 80 plants, trees and shrubs in total. They also used more than 2 tonnes of decorative stones to tidy up the green areas.
People of different ages took part. For the pupils, the day was a lesson in looking after the place where they study and play. For the adults, it showed that volunteering takes time, planning and teamwork.
DZI's Burgas team and colleagues from the company's head office backed the effort. Together with teachers and parents, they turned the clean-up into an event for the whole school.
Before Burgas, the campaign stopped in Strumyani, where more than 15 volunteers cleared a playground damaged by floods. In Veliko Tarnovo, 11 people helped tidy up parts of Sveta Gora park.
What stood out in Burgas was how much the children got involved — they planted and arranged the space around their school themselves. Organisers say this helps pupils get into the habit of caring for the place where they learn, and keeps it tidier for longer. People can suggest the next places to help through the campaign's website.