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Harmony Therapy Trust garden in Sheerness ready in time for summer despite vandalism

From left, rear, Maxine Hammond, Dave Hake, Pauline Hake, Linda Jones, Dawn Cockburn and Julia McDougall, with front, Tina and Russell Cashman in the community garden at Harmony Therapy Trust
From left, rear, Maxine Hammond, Dave Hake, Pauline Hake, Linda Jones, Dawn Cockburn and Julia McDougall, with front, Tina and Russell Cashman in the community garden at Harmony Therapy Trust

Despite setbacks with vandalism and unkind weather, a charity’s community garden is well on the way to being finished.

Volunteers at the Harmony Therapy Trust in Victoria Street, Sheerness, have been working on the space for about a year.

They offer therapies to people with serious illnesses, and founder Dawn Cockburn wanted to create an area patients could go and sit quietly to read or have a cup of tea before or after treatment.

Once it is completed, it will also be open to the public to come in and it is hoped donations will help towards running the charity.

Earlier this month we reported how the building had been the target of vandals who damaged part of the wooden gate and smashed the plastic front of a noticeboard.

Dawn Cockburn in the Harmony Therapy Trust garden
Dawn Cockburn in the Harmony Therapy Trust garden

The cold, wet weather has also meant things have taken slightly longer than hoped, but thanks to the hard work of some dedicated volunteers, it is weeks away from being finished.

Much of the material used to revamp the garden has come from donations, including concrete slabs from Marshalls in Sittingbourne and scaffolding planks from Ian Calder.

Islander Ricky Brown, who runs Brown Groundworks, has given his time free of charge to lay a pathway and trust chairman Dave Hakecorr has undertaken a lot of the work as well.

Mrs Cockburn said everyone had been brilliant and done a lovely job.

Event coordinator Pauline Hake added that once a few more flowers and trees were planted and some slabs laid, it would be finished.

If anyone can donate any topsoil or compost it would be gratefully received, she said.

  • If you can help, phone Mrs Hake on 01795 228162 or 07769035234.
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