Ex-service personnel can get their garden spruced up with a visit from “Green Aiders” and student volunteers.
The Green Aiders is a free, one-off garden clearance service run in Bedford by community charity Groundwork Luton & Bedfordshire. There is funding for a limited number of gardens, thanks to a grant from The Royal British Legion through its External Grants programme. Visits are available to ex-Service personnel or their spouses, partners, widows/widowers, children or dependants aged 65 plus.
Through a one-off visit, dedicated volunteers from Bedford College, led by Groundwork staff make gardens more manageable, safer and more pleasant to spend time in. At the same time, clearing overgrown gardens makes it harder for criminals or fraudsters to identify occupants as potential targets.
The volunteers from Bedford College are students of the Public Services course which helps young people understand the requirements and challenges of life in uniformed, emergency and related services. If you are interested in a career in public services then visit our pages to find out how you can sign up when you are 16.
Groundwork’s project officer James Bonner said:
“If you cannot physically do the work yourself, it can be a troubling sight to see your garden get out of control, but we take that problem away for veterans, so they can enjoy their gardens once again.”
Head of Social Policy & Grant Giving at the Legion, Steven Baynes, said:
“We’re pleased to have awarded funding to Groundwork. The grant demonstrates the Legion’s continued commitment to working with other organisations to provide the best support possible to our beneficiaries. It will also enable the Groundwork to use its expertise to make a real difference to those veterans struggling with the upkeep of their gardens, as well as provide others with a chance to learn new skills and support the Armed Forces community in a unique way as a volunteer.”
If you or someone you know could benefit from a Green Aiders visit, contact James on 01582 720147 or james.bonner@groundwork.org.uk.
