THE GREEN TEAM -DREAM TEAM

Gardening can be a therapeutic and relaxing activity but a charity in Goole, East Yorkshire has taken this to the next level, using horticulture to help people turn their lives around. Emily Collins spoke to The Green Team to find out how they use gardening to give people a second chance.

- Emily Collins

Walking through the polytunnels​ at The Green Team’s site in the West Park in Goole, you really get a sense of what the charity is about. The volunteers bustle around, planting seeds, potting up cuttings, watering seedlings and cleaning up. But most importantly, everyone is chatting, laughing, helping each other and sharing their knowledge. There is a real sense of teamwork and community.

There are plants of all kinds and a fresh floral smell fills the air – stripy tulips, sunshine yellow daffodils and purple crocuses, and trays upon trays of tiny green shoots peeping through compost and propagators filled with the latest batch of pots.

It’s a gardening haven and has become a lifeline for many people who felt they had nowhere left to turn.

ABOUT THE CHARITY

The Green Team is a charity which provides low-cost gardening services to elderly or disabled people in the area who can no longer manage their gardens themselves. The team also takes on people who are out of work and helps give them the skills and confidence to get back on the job ladder. The charity was set up 20 years ago by a small team of local people with an aim of helping their elderly neighbors but over the years it has grown to become a well-known and appreciated part of the town.

Many people like their garden to look nice and enjoy a few hours pottering in the sun, but The Green Team believes that its service can considerably help the well-being of its customers. The team’s gardeners visit people’s homes and take care of their gardens, trimming back unruly bushes, cutting the grass and more to ensure gardens are safe and accessible for the owner.