Kendal’s Manna House received a welcome boost from Bell Ingram’s Ambleside and Northwich colleagues recently.
Despite the sizzling summer temperatures, Neal Salomon, Hannah Rayne, Joe Greene, Andrew Thompson, Amy Best, Borzo Taheri, Bill Crank, Sarah Salomon and Lucy Lloyd spent a day helping to overhaul the charity’s allotment by clearing weeds, levelling the ground and binning rubbish. The volunteers also built and filled pallet box planters and laid and planted new beds for vegetables.
Land Agent Joe Greene, who organised the day, said: “Manna House provides essential support to society’s most vulnerable people. This new allotment offers an opportunity to grow their own food and a mental refuge for their clients. The allotment had been abandoned for 10+ years and has taken a mammoth effort to make it useable, just look at the rubbish pile!
“A huge well done to all the volunteers for their back-breaking work in the heat! A great job for a very worthy cause.”
A spokesperson for Manna House added: “Being homeless reduces life expectancy to 45 years for men and 42 years for women. Every little action helps us to help them.
“The Manna House allotment provides a safe space for our vulnerable clients. They learn valuable work skills, communication, self-worth and it improves mental well-being, as well as providing food that we share with all the clients.
“Thank you so much for your immense effort on the allotment, it will make such a difference. Your donation of time and effort inspired our clients. You gave them worth and made them feel ‘wanted’. They still talk about you and the hard work you put in. We now have an area where we can build more vegetable beds and a polytunnel, increasing our food production.
You should all be very proud of yourselves. If you ever find yourselves at a loose end you will be welcomed back with open arms.Thank you Bell Ingram, you are all stars.”
