Pick Everard Ministry of Justice Team Volunteering Day

Last week, several of my colleagues and I from the Pick Everard Ministry of Justice Team spent the day helping to tidy up an allotment project ran by Market Harborough & The Bowdens charity.

The allotments are home to a diverse range of local community groups and the day was spent on a range of practical tasks to make improvements to plots for the nearby primary school, the Women's Institute and a local learning disability group. It was a very rewarding day for all involved and we got to meet new people and learn about each of the charities aims.

The weather was great, the sun was shining and soon everyone got stuck into a number of tasks, including felting a large shed roof, installing guttering to collect rain water, painting and digging overgrown plots.

I was responsible for clearing out the overgrown brambles that have grown all around the pond - it was not an easy task. The brambles were everywhere and they were thorny and tangled but we persevered and eventually managed to clear them.

The ponds are part of the SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage System) network and are a great way of managing a surface water runoff as well as providing a biodiverse environment for numerous animals and creatures including birds, amphibians, insects and fish.

Overall, it was a great day out - it was amazing to get an opportunity to help the local community and incredibly rewarding to see the difference we all made.