Community spirit shines through

Fri, May 12th 2006, 11:00

A sensory garden that will impact positively on the lives of disabled children in and around Cannock will be built thanks to a little help from the kind staff at Redrow Homes.

The hi-tech garden is being built at the back of the home of Hollie Corien Davies. Hollie, who is five years old, has cerebral palsy and needs constant care as she is unable to walk, talk or feed herself. Children like Hollie learn through touching, tasting and feeling and this garden will aid their development immensely.

Support and assistance in building the garden has come from a number of sources through fundraising and donations. For their part, staff at Redrow Homes’ Platform One development in Hednesford have provided building materials and a donation raised by members of staff.

Hollie’s mum Beth explains: “The relationship with Redrow began when Hollie was raising money through a sponsored swim. We went along to the Platform One development in Hednesford to seek support and while we were there we asked them if they could provide materials to go towards building the sensory garden. Their response has been fantastic.

“Thanks to their help towards the building work we are on course to have the garden finished by May. Also the money that everyone at Redrow donated can go towards some much needed therapy for Hollie. Once the garden is officially opened, other kids in the community, like Hollie, can come along to experience its benefits.”

Through her sponsored swim in February, Hollie raised over £1000 to go towards the cost of her treatment. In May this year a rock concert will be held in Cannock at the Prince of Wales theatre and the money raised will also go towards treatment for Hollie.

Gary Pearson, site manager at Redrow’s Platform One development, says: “Everyone has got family and we all feel the need to look after them. Hollie is such a lovely little girl that we all wanted to do our very best to help her in any way possible.

“After meeting with Hollie’s family and learning about the sensory garden we were more than happy to contribute some blocks and bricks toward the construction.”

Redrow holds the Business in the Community (BITC) PerCent Standard. This voluntary benchmark measures the contributions made by companies through cash donations, staff and management time plus gifts in kind. Only companies that invest at least one percent of their pre-tax profits in the community are eligible to join the PerCent Club.