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Do you enjoy gardening but could do with some help?

In the summer of 2005 Age Concern Surrey launched a gardening scheme for older people living in the
Borough of Guildford. The scheme, supported by the Guildford Voluntary Grants Partnership, now has
over 130 clients and around 30 approved gardeners.

The aim of the scheme is to provide gardening support to the clients. Clients ask us to do a range of
tasks and it varies from garden to garden. Some clients just want their lawn mowed, others need help
with weeding, and some ask their gardener to do all their gardening for them.

Gardening Scheme for Guildford

The gardeners are self employed; some are professional gardeners,
others are keen amateurs with some spare time. All the gardeners are
interviewed with references taken up and finally they are cleared by the
Criminal Record Bureau. In 2006 the gardeners earned between £8
and £10 an hour.

Residents interested in the scheme contact the gardening
co-ordinator who then makes a ‘garden’ visit to discuss how the
scheme might help. There is no pressure on people to join the
scheme; some indeed decide the scheme is not for them.

People who wish to join the scheme then do so on an annual basis.
The membership fee in 2006 was £20 per annum; this goes towards
the administration costs of the scheme. As one client put it they are
paying for ‘peace of mind’ as the co-ordinator introduces an approved
gardener to them and then is there to act as a link between client and
gardener.