Volunteers transform care home garden

A team of green-fingered volunteers to spent a day improving a Warrington care home’s garden.
The good-willed bunch included a team of helpers from Long Lane Garden Centre, and a group of young people from the local police and fire service youth community support programme, delighted residents and staff at Culcheth CLS care home, Holcroft Grange.
Supported by PC Jeff Mathers, the volunteers spent the day potting plants, weeding, trimming bushes and chatting to the care home’s residents. The event was arranged as part of the youth community support group’s eight-week programme designed to give young people an opportunity to put something back into the community, and to
learn about showing and earning respect in their local area.
The Long Lane Garden Centre is part of a Warrington based charity called the Walton Lea Project, which supports adults with learning difficulties, physical difficulties and various mental health needs by helping them train and gain employment in horticulture. Their volunteers helped the less-horticulturally experienced young people with the gardening tasks.
The Walton Lea Project’s woodwork group designed and built a bench for residents to sit out in the garden, as well as a bird table and bird boxes to bring some wildlife into the grounds.
Pauline Shaw, Home Manager at Holcroft Grange, said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for us to gain some assistance in attending to the home’s garden, which now looks just beautiful. The residents really value being able to enjoy the sights and smells of the garden, so they’re over the moon with the improvements.
“It’s been a pleasure to meet so many kind people and be involved in such a wonderful and uplifting programme. We’d like to thank all of the volunteers and everyone who donated pots and plants for everything they’ve done.”