A SCHEME to create a community garden has been given a Royal boost after youngsters from the Prince’s Trust got stuck in.
Work to convert an area of land behind Carrbrook Community Hub has received a huge shot of momentum after 12 volunteers aged between 16 and 25 years, all from Tameside, got involved as part of their programme.
Areas has been cleared of plants, vegetation and weeds, benches have been painted and trees planted as the volunteers got their hands dirty, literally.
And Katherine Shillito, who helps deliver the Prince’s Trust scheme through its connection with Groundwork, praised the impact working in Carrbrook has had on those taking part.
The assistant team leader said: “They’ve all been doing a cracking job.
“They came in for two weeks – and the weather was absolutely lovely during it – and the turnaround is huge.
“They’ve not used any power tools or anything like that, everything was done by hand with plenty of elbow grease.
“As well as clearing areas, they laid down weed matting and chippings, put planters in place and planted trees.
“They also did a lot of painting to create a lovely seating rea and made a rockery.”
The Prince’s Trust volunteers rounded off their two-week stint on Friday, October 23 with a community project handover.
But some have already decided to stay on by having their work placements there Team leader Chris Grieve added: “We take young people that are unemployed or out of education and put them on a programme to re-engage them or hopefully get them a source of employment after it.
“Each young person is a volunteer and the programme is dividing into units. We do a community project to give them experience of what the workplace is like.
“They then get a reference from it, which will make them more employable.
“And they’ve put a lot of hard work into it. They get the reward they’ve justified.”
Each of the volunteers is designated a job role, including a press officer, which on this occasion fell to Megan Neville-Cooper.
The 20-year-old, who lives in Top Mossley, said: “Part of our programme is to carry out a community project for the benefit of the local community.
“We visited three different projects in Tameside and weighed up the pros and cons. We had a vote and decided to do this one.
“We’ve sanded and painted benches, painted rooms, levelling a main section, laid down weed matting and chippings, moved planters and planted nine trees.”
The impact of the Prince’s Trust workers and the work they have done has bowed over the man leading the garden project, Terry Drabble.
He said: “I can’t believe how much they’ve done. They’re all young but even in heavy rain they carried on, I couldn’t believe that.
“After what they did I’ve asked the Prince’s Trust if they would like to bring another group in for February and March.
“For what they’ve done, every one of them deserves a medal. It’s made my eyes light up.
“I give them a list of jobs I’d like them to do, then walk away and leave them to it. At the end of the day, I come back and can’t believe what they’ve done.
“Credit to them and the Prince’s Trust. If every group can work like these, they deserve a job. They shouldn’t be thrown on the scrapheap.”