“Seeing the gardens evolve was amazing...” – Rob’s story
“Trinity was looking for garden volunteers at the time I was trying to decide whether to retire or continue working,” says Rob, a former civil servant. “Finding something worthwhile I wanted to do helped me make the decision to go at a high point.”
Rob, a Clapham resident since the 70s, had visited Trinity but it was a tour of the newly built Inpatient Centre early in 2009 that inspired him to volunteer as a gardener. Disrupted by the building work, the grounds were largely heaps of mud but a landscaping contract was underway and there were already areas where the garden team could get going.
“Seeing the garden evolve was amazing -- that first spring was spectacular,” says Rob, who makes a substantial commitment to Trinity of two days a week. “I get to spend time in a beautiful place, I’m part of a team of lively interesting people, and I feel I’m making a difference. And it helps keep me fit!”
“We always say a cheery hello to patients and families,” he adds. “And if they want to chat we do. The garden is such a great thing to talk about.”
Rob doesn’t have a garden himself and had limited gardening experience when he started. “I’ve learnt plenty of new things and I’m now gardening to much higher standards,” he says.
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