A group of teenagers have used hard graft and team work to leave a lasting legacy
As part of the National Citizen Service scheme the group picked up their paint brushes and gardening tools to create something special
All aged between 15 and 16 the group had just five days to transform the Hospice’s Beach room, which is used by other young people and their families accessing the Hospice’s Nicky’s Way service, into a space fitting its name.
The Gruffalo Trail
Not a group to shy away from a challenge they also decided the Hospice’s wooden Gruffalo needed its own trail which could also be enjoyed by younger visitors to the Hospice.
Each day seeing the difference you have made
“Each day seeing the difference you have made, whether it be some colour on the wall or a few less weeds in the garden is a great feeling and it is good to be able to see the progress that has been made and I hope people enjoy what we have done,” said Lucy Stevenson, 16.
A chance to learn more about the Hospice and what it does
James Roberts, 16 said: “I think it has been a very good experience. It has given us a chance to learn more about the Hospice and what it does. It has been a way to give something back to a very worthy cause which helps so many people in the local community.
“I personally know to people who could be using the services the Hospice provides in the future and it is nice to think that they will be able to come here and see what I have been part of and what I have done.
“We will leave a legacy behind us and it is nice to think that people will be able to enjoy it and maybe even raise a smile. It makes it all worthwhile.”
We really wanted to create something that would be relaxing
It was up to 16-year-old Pippa Seymour to design the large mural which now covers one of the walls in the Beach room.
Pippa said: “We really wanted to create something that would be relaxing when people come into the room, and I hope the colours that we have chosen do that.
“I have just finished art at GCSE level, and planning to start at A-level. I am hoping maybe to be able to do art at university, but I haven’t painted a wall before so it has been a bit nerve wracking.”
Cupboard doors were also given a lick of paint with a bright beach hut design.
A lick of paint
The group also set to work in the Hospice’s gardens, weeds were pulled out at a rate of knots and the Hospice’s collection of wooden animals were also given a lick of paint.
Signs were also created to direct visitors around the Gruffalo trail.
Lucy Stevenson added: “When we came out into the garden we saw the Gruffalo and other animals and decided that we wanted create a trail that people would be able to follow more easily.
“It has been great I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I have been in my element. I have been doing an agriculture course and being at the Hospice and helping volunteering has really given me confidence. It has also been good to see what the Hospice does and how it helps others.”
It has been great to be able to see the group develop
Team Leader Adam Smith said: “It has been great to be able to see the group develop over the course of the programme; you see them develop existing skills and learn new ones.
“The work at the Hospice is a big part of that, it puts into practice other things we have been doing as part of the programme and lets the group see the results which will benefit others.
“A couple of people in the group seemed familiar with Nicky’s Way and it really seemed to strike a chord with the rest of the group, there was a real desire that as a group we wanted to be able to work with the Hospice.”
Being at the Hardwick Lane site has also given the group a better idea of what the charity is all about.
Kaitlin Turner, 16, said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed it. From the moment I walked through the door. It wasn’t what I expected, but my experience could not have been better the Hospice has such a good environment and we have been able to experience that.
“We have also been treated like adults while we have been here. We have gained experience that we can take with us and a better understanding of what the Hospice does.”