Teens tooled up — to help with gardening

Photo: Picture: Anthony Miller

JOB well done . . . back row (from the left) care worker Pat Butler, Casey McCallion, Kieran Knight, Mark Friar and PCSO Sarah Ward. Front (from the left) Brigitte Rogers, John Rogers and PCSO Lucille Hennessy. Right: the garden as it was before (top) and after the boys got to work (bottom)

WITH lawnmowers and strimmers in hand, three Oldham youngsters set out to cut the stereotype of teenage tearaways down to size.

Brigitte (50) and John Rogers (56) are both partially sighted and struggle to keep on top of their unruly garden in Raymond Avenue, Chadderton.

But Casey McCallion (17), Kieran Knight (17) and Mark Fryer (18) have come to the rescue.

A grateful Brigitte said: “The lads have been a great help. We are part of the community and don’t want our garden to let the area down.

“But it’s impossible for us to do the work ourselves. I’m in a wheelchair and we both struggle to see.”

John added: “It’s nice to see young people being recognised for their hard work, rather than being put down.”

The clean up was organised by PCSO Lucille Hennessy, who noticed that the Rogers needed some help during one of her neighbourhood visits.

She said: “First Choice Homes don’t have the resources to arrange gardening provision and the onus is on residents to keep their gardens tidy.

“But the Rogers can’t do that, so we thought this was the ideal solution.

“A lot of the young people around here just want something to do and somewhere to go. The lads were really enthusiastic when I mentioned the idea of them helping out the Rogers. They all provided their own equipment and Mark even came to help on his day off.”

Casey’s mother, Anne, said: “They might be a bit rowdy now and again but they are always willing to help people.”

The boys are now planning to brighten up the Rogers’s lawn with some planters, which they will help to maintain.

Brigitte said: “I think this is great idea and something which should be extended to help the vulnerable and elderly who can’t always do things for themselves. I would like to say a big thank you.”

Mark said: “We were happy to help out. It’s nice to get stuck into something and be able to look at it afterwards and know you’ve done a good job.”