Mencap help Farleigh's gardens flourish

I, Too, Am Able is a campaign created by City of Chelmsford Mencap to coincide with Learning Disability Week. This enables people with a learning disability to talk about and celebrate the amazing things that people with a learning disability are doing in their community.

Chelmsford Mencap have a longstanding relation with Farleigh Hospice and their students have been caring for our vegetable garden for many years. On 20 June, nine of the group visited our gardens and helped our staff with weeding, watering and maintenance.

Senior Support Lead, Jules, from Mencap said, "The students get so much out of this. Teamwork is one of the biggest things. They also love the satisfaction from growing vegetables because they know they are going to be used in Farleigh's kitchens which benefits patients, volunteers and staff. The students enjoyed the volunteering aspect at Farleigh as they felt they were truly part of the community.”

Andy, from the maintenance team at Farleigh said, "It was wonderful to have the students from Mencap volunteering in our vegetable gardens for the day. As always, they really got stuck in to all the tasks and were great company throughout. As a result of all their hard work and efforts, the vegetable plants are looking fabulous. We really appreciate their time and support and look forward to their next visit.”