Up the garden path…🐿️🦔🪻🌻

Mintymo

Relative who is in a bit of a pickle. 

She has a relatively large garden which was unusable for years due to highly invasive plants taking over ( which were there when she moved in, ) The HA have agreed to remove the offending jungle, which has been done🎉🎉but she is left with just a LARGE patch of bare soil and no washing line or path ( both taken up In the works).

She doesn’t even have a mobility scooter now as it’s stopped working( a different story for later)  and can only get out if a friend takes her . 

She cannot enjoy the ‘garden ‘ ( mud patch) at all , she has various disabilities and only me to support  her , but I live miles away .

Has anyone else any advice how I can support her to access some help?

She would love it if she could have a lawn and a little patio she could sit on , it would help her mood and give her a purpose . 

I don’t know where to go for help. 

Minty mo

Mintymo

Woop woop ! It is Mintymo here, looking to your wonderful community to point me in the right direction to help a relative become more 
mobile. Please help by looking at my post called “ Up the garden path”

poppy123456

Mintymo said:

 Please help by looking at my post called “ Up the garden path”

Were you meant to post something else? I can't find any other thread from you.

Mintymo

I edited it a lot for typos so I think it might be up for moderation and may appear tommorrow?

poppy123456

It may have got caught in scopes spam filter, it happens sometimes. If it has then one of the team will post the thread sometime tomorrow morning. 

Hannah_Alumni

Hello @Mintymo

Welcome to the community! I am sorry, your post was caught in our spam filter so I have merged them together in one place for you to find easier! 

I'm sorry she is unable to enjoy her garden. Have you tried reaching out to the Gardening With Disabilities Trust? They help with adaptations to make gardening possible. It would be worth sending them an email to see if they can help.

Mintymo

Thanks, I’ll email them now ❤️ Dealing with Housing organizations is so difficult. 

Mintymo

I haven’t even mentioned the piles of rubbish that need moving. The HA won’t pay for a skip for it, so trying to look elsewhere 

Hannah_Alumni

@Mintymo It is, especially when there are such waiting lists to get things done too!

For the rubbish, a "man with a van" may be of help? We have a few on my local community Facebook page and they are well priced. If it is an option, may be worth a look on the local Facebook page for your relatives area? 

Kimmy87

Have the HA said that they are absolutely finished, and won't be relaying path etc? They really should be replacing those items, perhaps a formal complaint might prompt them to think about doing so. 


Are there any local colleges that do gardening courses, possible work experience for the students?

Washing line is inexpensive, are there hooks/poles/corners/trees that it can be strung up in between? Perhaps a neighbour or friend would be happy to do that for her. 

Mintymo

No, the HA won’t be doing any more. That’s their remit. It’s not so much the washing line, but they’ve taken down the posts and there’s no path. It would be unsafe for her to walk on the garden at the moment. No no treees, no no one  to do it for her. I live a long way from her

Jimm_Scope

Did you have any luck with Gardening with Disabilities @Mintymo? There may also be local allotment or gardening groups who would be happy to lend a hand?

Wibbles

Try your local secondary school - for kids looking for Saturday jobs - as long as you pay them the going rate (£5.28 per hour)

During term time children can only work a maximum of 12 hours a week. This includes:

• a maximum of 2 hours on school days and Sundays
• a maximum of 5 hours on Saturdays for 13 to 14-year-olds, or 8 hours for 15 to 16-year-olds

Mintymo

Jimm_Scope said:

Did you have any luck with Gardening with Disabilities @Mintymo? There may also be local allotment or gardening groups who would be happy to lend a hand?

No, unfortunately it doesn’t fit their criteria. They would maybe supply a raised bed, but that’s not what she needs. 

WhatThe

Hi, 

Every HA has a duty of care and will organise remedial works to a garden also  maintenance but it usually has to be paid for by the tenant. 

Bringing green into her horizon is vital. TV gardening shows are full of ideas  

Mintymo

Yes I agree, but she’s got chronic fatigue amongst other things,  and everyday living is hard enough with that. She has very little extra energy. 

We’ve now got to the point of the HA agreeing to provide a skip for the rubbish ( it took an awful lot of doing) and talk to her about finances for the other things.I’m hoping they may suggest some organisations that could help. 

They have taken the long garden path up as I said . I don’t know how much it’s going to cost to get a new concrete path out in so she can walk to her washing line .Once the garden is all clear I can take a look at it, and think about getting it ready for spring grass seed sowing , and go down and do it for her. 

I don’t know what prep needs to be done, or if it will need to have a garden roller on it. I also don’t know how much new weed growth will be there by spring .
After the lawn is grown she’s going to get someone in to mow it regularly. 

At the moment she’s just thinking of having it just laid to lawn right up to the fences. 

Mintymo

Also, if the HA had taken notice in the first place this much work wouldn’t have needed doing. It wasn’t her who planted the bamboo

WhatThe

Have the HA said that they are absolutely finished, and won't be relaying path etc? They really should be replacing those items, perhaps a formal complaint might prompt them to think about doing so. 
  
I agree with Kimmy. The waste should definitely have been removed after clearing the bamboo. Preparing the site for lawn seed would be a huge job because it's bamboo. An appeal to the welfare officer and CEO for remedial works to a reasonable standard on health and safety grounds is worthwhile - include photos.

Tbc

WhatThe

Have the HA said that they are absolutely finished, and won't be relaying path etc? They really should be replacing those items, perhaps a formal complaint might prompt them to think about doing so. 
  
I agree with Kimmy. The waste should definitely have been removed after clearing the bamboo. Preparing the site for lawn seed would be a huge job because it's bamboo. An appeal to the welfare officer and CEO for remedial works to a reasonable standard on health and safety grounds is worthwhile - include photos.

Tbc

Mintymo

WhatThe said:

Have the HA said that they are absolutely finished, and won't be relaying path etc? They really should be replacing those items, perhaps a formal complaint might prompt them to think about doing so. 
  
I agree with Kimmy. The waste should definitely have been removed after clearing the bamboo. Preparing the site for lawn seed would be a huge job because it's bamboo. An appeal to the welfare officer and CEO for remedial works to a reasonable standard on health and safety grounds is worthwhile - include photos.

Tbc

They removed the bamboo, but didn’t move other waste which had been created after all the  bamboo was taken out. 

With pressure they’ve now said they will provide a skip. She’s going to get a visit to discuss the other issues. I agree if necessary I will get her to put in an official complaint , though she may not be prepared to
do that 

WhatThe

As a charity, they hold funds for improvements. A request rather than a complaint is the best approach on the basis of your relative's health conditions/limited funds. She may only be asked to pay for materials.

A safe path could be created with pebbles rather than concrete which is expensive to lay and not eco-friendly. Sand and mulch spread on mud over winter will improve the site's appearance and drainage ahead of any groundworks. I'd recommend turf over seed for an instant lawn plus it can be lifted and replaced if the bamboo resurfaces. 

Decking compliments any garden and will not crack like concrete does with ground movement.