Community spirit is the key to happiness

Team Reiss members are on a mission

Team Reiss are on a mission to plant the seeds of community spirit in Oldham.

As part of their National Citizens Service programme, a group of 16-year-olds have volunteered with community partner St Herbert’s Court, a residential care home in Chadderton.

Their goal is to improve the residents’ garden facilities.

According to team member Madiha, residents of the home find great peace in the garden, speaking about it as if it were “a celestial palace, a place of never ending joy and tranquillity.”

This has inspired the team to fill the space with new flowers and vegetables.

They hope that this project will not only add beauty to the lives of the elderly people they have worked with, but that it will instil a feeling of self-worth that benefits their mental health.

Their empathy for the difficulties the residents face, from loneliness to memory loss, makes this an especially worthwhile cause for the team.

The National Citizens Service is a volunteering and social development programme open to 15 to 17-year-olds.

It comprises group bonding challenges, volunteering and a local community project.

As well as allowing young people to invest in their communities, Madiha says that the process has greatly developed them as individuals.

Madiha said: “We started off as shy, humble strangers and [are] now developing into strong, confident individuals who have come together as one to use our skills to make a difference.”

For the group, ensuring that residents of St Herbert’s Court feel valued and supported by the Oldham community is of paramount importance and they hope that their project will create a wider ripple effect.

On Thursday (July 26), Team Reiss will be campaigning for awareness of mental health issues affecting the elderly outside St Peter’s Square and are asking for donations to help them achieve their goal.

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