A team of green fingered employees from A.F. Blakemore’s wholesale division have swapped picking trucks for plants and shovels to create a tranquil garden area at a women’s refuge in Wolverhampton.
Six volunteers from Blakemore Wholesale’s Apex II distribution warehouse in Great Bridge spent four days transforming a disused area into a kitchen garden and relaxation area at Jericho House Sheltered Accommodation in Wolverhampton.
The project involved painting a seating area, planting two vegetable and herb beds and creating a relaxation area using fragrant plants and flowers.
The project took place as part of the Institute of Management and Leadership (ILM) Level 2 Certificate in Team Leading, where delegates are required to carry out a volunteering activity in the community to demonstrate skills learnt.
Jericho House Sheltered Accommodation is move on accommodation for single women and women with children who have suffered domestic violence and/or abuse. The project consists of 11 bedsits with kitchen area, shared bathrooms and communal facilities.
Service users are supported to enhance life skills to safely and economically run a home of their own and Jericho supports service users with the transition back into the community and assists with finding suitable accommodation to ensure a smooth resettlement into a tenancy they can sustain.
Vicki Cureton, Jericho House, Wolverhampton said:
“A million thanks to Sarah and the team from A.F. Blakemore who have totally transformed our garden area. We now have a fully planted vegetable area, a tranquil space complete with flowers and herbs and a beautiful clean garden area for service users to enjoy. We are truly grateful.”
Sarah Riaz, Blakemore Wholesale Transport Admin Assistant added:
“I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge with this gardening project and had a very good team to work alongside, everyone on the project worked very hard and we are proud of the end result. I was very pleased Jericho House was happy with the garden and hope they enjoy the garden area much more now”
