Benburb Daytime Opportunities project
23/04/2012
The Southern Health and Social Care Trust is working in partnership with Benburb Priory on an ambitious project to restore the historic Walled Garden and Victorian Greenhouse.
As part of phase one, eight adults with a learning disability are working under the direction of Alyn Jones from Alliance Youth Works on a number of features in the garden. The project is supported by the Southern Trust’s Daytime Opportunities Worker for Adult Learning Disability Tina Maguire.
The day opportunities programme covers four areas of development – recreational, vocational, volunteering and further education.
The group has been marking out and digging beds for an orchard, removing the old hedge to allow the original privet hedge to cultivate, and restoring the paths. There are also plans to introduce pheasants which would have been evident in a typical Victorian kitchen garden.
Local man Jonathan Gallagher says, “I’ve been coming to Benburb for five months and I enjoy working with the others on the difference projects. No two days are the same. The work I’ve been doing is part of my Open College Network in Conservation course and it is great to see the garden coming along every week.”
Alyn Jones explains that Alliance Youth Works is committed to enhancing the habitat and species of birds and wildlife attracted to the Benburb garden.
“Alliance Youth Works has close links with the Environment Agency, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Conservation Volunteers and Butterfly Conservation. We’ll have brought our knowledge, skills and experience to the site to develop it over the next three years.”
Noreen McComiskey, Learning Disability Specialist Services Manager at the Southern Trust, adds, “We’re delighted to be working with Benburb Priory on this very exciting project. Research has shown that working outside can be therapeutic for people with a learning disability in terms of their physical and mental health. This project is of historic and architectural interest and offers great potential.
“The adults with a learning disability focus on the educational aspects of the environmental scheme and are actively involved in planning the work which they will carry out. They have developed a poster identifying weather, temperature, season and the activities undertaken. The group is getting larger as more individuals are referred to the programme. The focus is on creating confident and independent participants who can contribute significantly to their community. We look forward to seeing how the project will develop and change over the next three years.”
Award Winning young architect Cathal Fearon is assisting with the restoration of the Victorian Glasshouse to its former glory.