A team of volunteers has been recognised for its work growing the garden at a Herefordshire charity.
Members of the gardening team at St Michael’s Hospice have given up their time to transform the 1.5-acre plot in Bartestree which overlooks apple orchards and sweeping countryside beyond. Their efforts over the past three years have seen them receive a Landscape Award which was presented during the Heart of England in Bloom Awards held in Sutton Coldfield.
“We are delighted to have received this accolade which is testament to the hard work and time given by all the gardening volunteers,” said Steve Flack, one of the volunteers.
“This area has been transformed from a fairly nondescript piece of land to an area which is inviting, relaxing and calming for patients, their loved ones, staff members and volunteers across the charity. It means a huge amount to us as a team to receive comments about how much the garden has helped people during their time here. “Feedback like that really spurs us on to continue making this a welcoming space for all.”
There are currently around 40 volunteer gardeners, who meet each Wednesday at St Michael’s to carry out a variety of roles across the Hospice grounds.
The award was celebrated by Herefordshire-based gardening celebrity Monty Don, who announced the news to his 1.2 million Instagram followers. The Gardeners’ World host said he was “so proud of all that have worked so hard and given so much to create this garden”. Monty has visited the garden several times, offering his advice to the volunteer team. He also officially opened the gardens at St Michael’s last September during a fundraiser which brought the curtain down on the Hospice’s Open Gardens season.
The gardening team at St Michael’s is currently full to capacity, but there are a number of other volunteer positions available. Just click here to find out more – https://www.st-michaels-hospice.org.uk/volunteering-vacancies