Green-fingered volunteers lend a hand as part of Garden Re-Leaf Day

March 28, 2022

Green-fingered helpers pitched in to spruce up the grounds of a children’s hospice.

Corporate volunteers from AMES UK swapped their regular day jobs to lend a hand at the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice (EACH) base in Milton.

The event was organised by the Greenfingers Charity – a national organisation dedicated to creating magical and inspiring gardens for life-limited children and their families who spend time in hospices – as part of its Garden Re-Leaf Day. The team joined forces with Milton caretaker Connor Collis to spruce up the Cambridgeshire hospice on Friday.

Milton facilities site manager Jim Mowatt said: “They made the most amazing difference, pressure-washing the children’s playgrounds, clearing paths, weeding and seeding border areas around the nature pond and clearing dark ivy from the entrance.

“Now we’re ready to plant something more colourful and welcoming at the hospice front entrance for the sunshine of the new season.”

Linda Petrons, the Greenfingers Charity’s Director of Fundraising and Communications, added: “We’re so pleased the team from AMES were keen to support EACH and hear more about the very real difference gardens make to hospices.”

Milton is one of three EACH hospices, with the others being The Nook, near Norwich, and The Treehouse, in Ipswich. They are looked after by regional facilities teams, who work hard to keep staff and service users in clean, safe, sustainable and well-maintained surroundings.

The Greenfingers Charity is currently working with EACH and has created a masterplan design for the outside space at The Nook.

Both parties are looking forward to bringing two new gardens to life very soon.