The managing director of London Stone Steven Walley has announced that the company is supporting an ethical project in India.

The goal of the project is to create child labour free zones in the sandstone cobble producing areas of Rajasthan.

London Stone will be working with non-governmental organisations on the ground in India along with Stoneasy, a Belgium Stone importer.

The project will deliver real results in getting children back into school.

London Stone is starting a 6 month campaign to raise awareness of the good work that’s been done on the ground in India.

The company will be running a series of informative blogs which will give information about the root causes of child labour in India and the community led initiatives that are helping to get the kids back into education.

Steven said: “I’m very excited about the project. Spending time out in Budhpura has been both humbling and inspiring.

“Seeing first hand the progress that’s been made and the positive impact on the local community, the project is real and more importantly community led. I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.

“The project only has one ambition, that no child labour is involved in the production of sandstone cobbles in Budhpura and its surrounding villages. Children should be in school and that’s what everyone is working towards achieving.

“ICN, the leading NGO from the Netherlands, had teamed up with Manjari, a local NGO based in Budhpura, to tackle the problem of child labour.

“They also needed corporate support and that’s when Beltrami, Stoneasy and London Stone got involved.

“Bram Callewier, the director of Stoneasy, and myself were aware of the problem and wanted to do something more than just charity.

“From the start, there was real synergy between us, ICN and Manjari. We use our supply chain leverage to bring suppliers to the table while Manjari has the essential connections with the community.

“The response has been staggering from everyone. The people of Budhpura, the sandstone cobble traders, Indian suppliers, NGO’s and now the absolutely fantastic support we are receiving from the UK landscaping industry.”

The first blog went live on Monday 1 February and can be found at https://nochildleftbehind.co.uk/

The project can also be followed via its Twitter profile @Children4School