Charity team digs in for flower show
A HOMELESSNESS charity will exhibit a double back-to-back garden at this week’s Tatton Park park flower show.
Amid climate change concerns and increased local flooding in Rochdale, Petrus Community service users, volunteers and staff designed their garden ‘Full Circle’ to reflect the need to go back to nature to find solutions.
Full Circle explores ‘rain garden’ and features that can be achieved in almost any garden to reduce water runoff and the Petrus team will share what the community and gardeners can do to help the situation and become more flood resilient.
Many of Petrus’ service users and volunteers have multiple and complex needs or have experienced homelessness and engage with the charity’s community allotment Petrus Incredible Edibles Rochdale (PIER), which supports individuals out of negative routines through improved social, mental and physical wellbeing.
With their garden, they hope to break negative stereotypes associated with homelessness, mental health and learning disabilities by showcasing how people with support needs have the same want to contribute to, feel a part of and make positive changes in their community around key issues that affect us all.
Following the charity’s success at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park in 2019, their team are excited to be returning to the prestigious event.
Les, Petrus service user and PIER volunteer, said: “Petrus and PIER have been a big part of my life for a long time, this is not just a one off, it’s something that makes me happy, and we were over the moon when we got the Silver Medal and People’s Choice Award at Tatton last time. It was wonderful!
“We were just so proud of each other.
“We always get through the good, bad, and fun times together and have a laugh and a joke.
“We’ve all enjoyed being a part of Tatton. It takes a lot to put together a garden, it’s like with the football when it comes to gardening you have good and bad times, but you just need a good team behind you and we’re all hoping for the best.”