Volunteers from a North-east developer have turned green fingered to help two partially sighted veterans in Cleveland.
Ernie Booker and Jack Mays from Brotton had their gardens tidied and access to their homes improved by the team from regeneration specialist Galliford Try Partnerships North — the construction company working with Coast & Country to build The Cliffs, a development of 25 new bungalows for older people in Redcar and Cleveland. Brightly coloured plants, paint and materials were incorporated to heighten visual stimuli and wind chimes installed, to add to the sensory experience.
The pair were contacted through Blind Veterans UK – a national charity that supports ex forces personnel with the issues they face due to visual impairment. The developer enlisted the help of landscape specialists One Landscapes to support the volunteers and helpers from Coast & Country and the charity.
Galliford Try Partnerships North Representative, Hayley Bell said: “We are delighted to have been able to help Ernie and Jack by enhancing their gardens, undertaking DIY work and creating safe and stimulating outdoor spaces for them to enjoy.
“We are always keen to become involved in community activities or charitable initiatives in the areas in which we build and allow provision for our employees to undertake volunteer work across the region. We also try to enlist the support of our suppliers and contractors on these projects and would like to thank Brad at One Landscapes for the time and support he has given.”
Johanna Watts, Employer Engagement Officer at Coast & Country, added: “It is so important that we, and our suppliers and contractors, give something back to the communities in which we are working and this was a fantastic project on which everyone worked together to help and support Ernie and Jack.”
Pictured, front, seated, are veterans Ernie Booker (left) and Jack Mays, joined by back row, left to right, Laura Booker, Ernie’s granddaughter; Johanna Watts, from Coast and Country; Lindsay Boon, from Blind Veterans UK; Jean Mays, Jack’s wife; Hayley Bell, from Galliford Try Partnerships North and Brad Docherty, from One Landscapes Ltd.
