Zellar Together enhances community garden in Lincoln
In the heart of an ‘overlooked’ community in Lincoln, a team of Zellar’s members, partners and employees all joined together to lend a helping hand to enhance the landscape of a community garden run by the charity Green Synergy.
Green Synergy is a Lincoln based charity, which uses their 2.5 acre community garden as a hub for a range of therapeutic horticulture and physical activities to improve the community’s mental and physical wellbeing. The garden serves as a vibrant centre for learning, relaxation, and social interaction and is also widely used by staff of the nearby Lincoln County Hospital.
Part of our Zellar Together programme, which brings Zellar members together for community volunteering, our team comprised members such as Heritage Lincolnshire, our partners North Kesteven District Council as well as Zellar employees.
The team set hard to work prepping and painting the garden’s perimeter fence which hadn’t been repainted in many years. Some of the team cleared weeds from the fence base, while others scraped off loose paint and sanded rusty areas. After several hours of preparation, the fence was ready for painting, which was just completed before the rain started!
Reflecting on her experience, Niamh Carney from Heritage Lincolnshire said: “The Hillside Garden is a wonderful space which represents the kindness and hard work of those who have selflessly contributed and supported its construction and development. It was great to meet some of Zellar's local partners and have the chance to discuss how we might work together for greater biodiversity across Lincolnshire. Our organisation looks to expand how we use volunteers, develop activities which promote wellbeing, and improve our environmental contribution; therefore it was great to see first-hand how Green Synergy does this to support their local community. Alongside my fellow volunteers, my job was to sand the fence as well as painting afterwards. It was rewarding to see the results of our hard work and was lovely to feel we had contributed to something with such a positive impact on the community!”
Wendy Slater, the Community Engagement Co-ordinator of Green Synergy, expressed her appreciation for the team’s efforts: "We are incredibly grateful for the hard work and enthusiasm shown by the volunteer team. Their work has helped to enhance the appearance of our community garden, making it an even more inviting space for everyone to enjoy."
Steffi Wilkinson, Community Climate and Biodiversity Officer of North Kesteven District Council said: “I really enjoyed spending the morning volunteering in Lincoln. It was great to see all the amazing work Green Synergy are doing and the positive impact it is having in the local community. I would encourage Zellar members to keep a look out for any future Zellar Together opportunities in their local area.”
Zellar is planning to organise further Zellar Together days in 2024. If you’d like us to organise something in your region then please get in touch.
To help make volunteering work in your business you can also download our free volunteering guide.
Zellar Together in Lincoln