Digging deep at Telford care home
The energy of youth is helping to improve life for the older generation of Telford.
Gardens of a care home in the town are being given a new lease of life, thanks to the hard work of a group of local young people.
Birkdale Care Home in Oakengates is having its garden totally transformed by 10 young people.
They are currently taking on a personal development programme run by the Prince's Trust.
The young people, all aged between 16 and 25 are taking part in Team Programme, run through the City of Wolverhampton College and held at Meeting Point House in Telford.
The programme is designed to help get young people back into further education or employment.
They learn to work together as a team – and their efforts are helping to improve their town as well.
As part of their course they have to chose a project to work on which will benefit the local area and provide lasting good for the community.
For their project, this group have decided to work on the garden and improve it for the residents.
Jay Pyatt, the assistant team leader who is running the scheme alongside colleague and team leader Irma Bajramovic, said the work of those on the programme was making a real difference to people's lives.
He said: "We started on Monday and we should by finished on Friday in two weeks' time."
He added: "They chose to work at the care home mainly so that anyone who is in a wheelchair can come out and enjoy the garden.
"They also really liked the people here and wanted to be able to do something special for them"
The group will be painting the garden fence, filling in a divot in the lawn and sowing grass seed.
They will also be painting the outside wall and putting in planters.
The main elements of the garden will stand two-and-a-half feet high to allow people in wheelchairs to have access and be able to plant their own flowers and vegetables.
It is hoped the garden will be ready to flourish in the spring, allowing people living in the care home the opportunity to watch the plants grow and develop through time.
Mr Pyatt said: "It is a really worthwhile project that will bring a great deal of enjoyment.
"Those involved are also putting hanging baskets all around the outside of the building which, come the summer, should look very pretty."
