This year, our chosen community charity is Hop, Skip and Jump.
Providing care for children and young adults, Hop, Skip and Jump’s Bristol centre offers a variety of indoor and outdoor activities to engage children with disabilities and special educational needs. Children are able to experience a sense of space and freedom to help build self-confidence, social skills and self-esteem, while parents and carers receive some much-needed respite; time to rest, spend time with their other children, or simply go for a coffee with friends. Their simple vision is to prevent family collapse, to encourage and promote the development of children with disabilities and special needs, and, most importantly, to provide the highest quality respite care for those who need it most.
As you might imagine, funding for this vital service is limited and as such, the charity is unable to maintain the outdoor play areas as much as they’d like. Without the funds for a regular gardener, the space has become overgrown and unloved. Grasses and nettles are starting to take over, furniture and play equipment are starting to rot, and toys are rusting in the absence of storage facilities. The sensory garden and vegetable beds have also died back, while shrubs and trees have become so large that it’s difficult to keep an eye on the children whilst they’re playing.
So, we need your help!
Our team will be on site on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th August to get our hands dirty and give the garden a much-needed tidy. But we can’t do it on our own – we need volunteers to help with painting, clearing, tidying and planting. No experience required – just as much time as you can give on either (or both) of those days!
Food will be provided on both days, and we’ll be there from 8am. Even if you can manage an hour or two, we’d love to see you.
If you can’t be there on the day, you can still help. From now until the big day, we’ll be approaching local companies that might be able to provide tools, vital materials and equipment such as raised vegetable beds, paint, compost, plants and play equipment. Our wish list for Hop, Skip and Jump is large, so please do let us know if you know of any local businesses that might be able to help out.
Alternatively, any donation to the project would of course be invaluable! Not only will this help us buy vital equipment for the centre, it will also help fund a regular garden maintenance visit to make sure the kids can keep on enjoying the outside space afterwards. To donate, please visit crowdfunding.justgiving.com/HSJBristol
You can find out more at hopskipandjump.org.uk
