Garden at sheltered housing scheme in Daventry is transformed with a little help from Tesco

In the foreground, (pictured left to right) Brian Revers, Warehouse Planner at Tesco, the Mayor of Daventry Cllr Wendy Randall and Steve Boatman, Warehouse Planner at Tesco. Iin the background are Daventry & District Housing Community Development Officer, Sarah Sims and Warwick Court residents and keen gardeners George and Fran Broomhall.

The new front garden of Warwick Court, owned by Daventry and District Housing (DDH), was recently unveiled by the Mayor of Daventry after a team of 12 Tesco staff gave up hours of their own time to transform the space.

After receiving £1,000 from DDH’s Community Chest fund, the dedicated dozen, who work in the warehouse planning team at the Tesco Distribution Support Office in Crick, managed the four-week project from concept to completion.

This included designing the new space, clearing the old garden, sourcing materials and manual labour. The work was carried out between March 1 and April 1 in time for the official unveiling on Monday April 4.

Sarah Sims, community development officer at DDH, said: “When Tesco offered to help refurbish the garden we were delighted to provide funding for the materials. The dedication and hard work of all of the volunteers has been impressive and the end result is fantastic.

“They have created a really nice, peaceful place for people to sit and enjoy the sun and the plants. I am sure that the residents and visitors to the scheme will enjoy the garden for years to come.”

Two men put in an extra special effort – Tesco employee John Potter built the garden’s raised planters in his own time and self-employed block paver Colin Cowley, who lives in Daventry, laid the patio circle free of charge.

The Mayor of Daventry, Cllr Wendy Randall, who introduced Tesco to DDH when they wanted to get involved with a community project, said: “It’s a big wow factor. I think they’ve done an amazing job and I’m so impressed with all the work that they’ve put in. It’s great that non-Tesco employees have also put in hours of their own time to help.

“The end result is great for the residents. If they’re out there waiting for a taxi they can sit on the bench in the sun and it’s something that visitors will love when they come to the property.”

Brian Revers, warehouse planner for Tesco, who managed the project, said: “We wanted to do something for the community and once we found out about the front garden at Warwick Court we saw it as an ideal opportunity to get involved.

“We designed a low maintenance garden to meet the needs of the residents based on their requirements. As a team, we are extremely proud of what we have achieved and we are looking forward to further projects in the future.”

The residents of Warwick Court, including dedicated gardeners George Broomhall and his wife Fran, also raised almost £400 to help fund the improvements. After seeing the new garden, George, who continues to maintain the back garden, said: “My wife and I have always taken real pride in the gardens but it was just getting harder to do the front and the back. What they’ve done is absolutely brilliant.

“When I first saw the picture of what they were planning, I thought, ‘no, never’. But they’ve surpassed that. It’s brilliant and it looks easy to maintain. Our sons come to visit and they’re amazed. They love it.”