Helping Hands gardening group is blooming after cash donation

29 March 2024

Gardening volunteers will be better equipped this spring thanks to a donation from the team in East Midlands.

The Helping Hands project is run by Voluntary Community Action East Cambs (VCAEC) and supports those who are elderly and vulnerable to take back control of their unruly gardens.

The charity was in desperate need of new battery-operated machinery for trimming back unruly hedges, strimming grass and cutting down small trees, and they reached out to local developer Persimmon Homes East Midlands, based in nearby Peterborough for help.

Through their Community Champions grant scheme the housebuilder was able to offer the charity a donation of £2,250, which will allow the charity to buy new equipment which is lighter weight for the volunteers and easier to manage than petrol machinery.

Amanda Jones, Field Sales Manage,, and Paul Darbon, Contracts Manager, invited Angela Haylock, Chief Executive of VCAEC to our Harley Heights development in Littleport to hand over the cheque and hear about the work of the charity.

Angela Haylock said: “Often homes where there is an overgrown and unkept garden are a sign that someone vulnerable may be living inside and criminals will pray on them. The work our volunteers do protects them from that threat, and also reduces the risk of falls in the garden.

“Thank you to Persimmon for this grant that will go a long way in replacing some of our older, heavier petrol tools and allow our volunteers to continue their work supporting vulnerable people who are unable to care for their own gardens.”

Amanda Jones said: “It is a pleasure to hand over this donation for the Helping Hands project and know it will help so many people over coming years. We know this money will help create a lasting legacy here in Littleport and across East Cambs.”

Cllr Christine Ambrose Smith, East Cambridgeshire District Council member for Littleport Ward, joined the presentation and said: “As a district council, we are well aware of the excellent work carried out by this voluntary group and it is wonderful to see Persimmon supporting them.”

For more information on the work of the charity, to refer someone for help or to volunteer, visit their website.

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