Gardening Skills Project for the young is
launched
The Gardening Skills Project which
has been funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation started in May this
year and will run for three years. The groups, currently from
Bradfields and Greenacre Schools in Chatham, have been helping
elderly and disabled tenants living in properties owned by mhs
homes to tidy up and maintain their gardens.
The group have completed work on
gardens in Holly Road, Strood and at Sindal Shaw House, a Sheltered
Scheme at Weedswood, where they have laid new paving to extend a
patio area and transformed a very overgrown front border by
clearing and re-planting.
The project which is being managed
by Jo Sage, Community Development Worker in conjunction with Alan
Hughes, Environmental Manager for mhs homes gives young people, who
have special educational needs or are at risk of exclusion from
school, vocational work in horticulture. The project also gives the
young people social and life skills.
Jo Sage explains, " We hope that
this scheme will benefit older residents as well as being a
positive step for young people for whom it is beneficial to have an
active role in the community and get an all round education. This
project is an opportunity to give the young people a new and
different perspective on life. They go on trips to gardens, learn
practical plant identification on site and get some real hands on
experience outside of the school environment."
Sheila Turner (76) a resident of an
mhs homes property in Strood said," They were such a lovely bunch
and they worked so hard. They didn’t stop from the time they
arrived until the time they went home and even then they carried
all the rubbish out as well. They were a fantastic help."
Fifteen year old Ross Ward was a
member of the team who worked on Mrs Turner’s garden. He said "I
was asked if I wanted to join this project and I quite like doing
gardening plus I sometimes help a neighbour out at home so I
thought I’d give it a go. I really like it and I would definitely
recommend it to other people my age. The best bit is seeing the
garden when it’s all nice and tidy at the end. Now - I would like
to work for a gardening company when I leave school."
Alan Hughes, Environmental Manager
for mhs homes said, "This project is an excellent idea to show
young people another perspective and help them to choose what they
want to do when they leave school. It’s also an excellent
opportunity for them to do something positive and see what they can
achieve and shine."