A SMALL group of volunteers has begun to tidy up the neglected gardens at the Mount Gambier Hospital this month.
The recently formed Friends of the Hospital group is an initiative of the Mount Gambier Health Advisory Council (HAC) and is seeking a few extra pairs of hands – with green thumbs or not.
HAC members Maree Thompson and Deb Paschke said a group of around 15 volunteers made a start on the front gardens on Sunday.
“We have been trying to get a Friends of the Hospital group going for a while – probably around eight months – but we have not had much interest until recently,” Ms Thompson said.
“Bio Gro has donated mulch and Bunnings has given us plants and we had around 15 people here on Sunday, including four young girls from the Leos club.
“We still need more volunteers – there is a lot of garden to tidy up and we haven’t even scratched the surface.”
Ms Paschke said Friends of the Hospital groups were active across the state at both metropolitan and regional hospitals.
“I know Flinders Hospital has a strong volunteering contingent and Penola Hospital does too,” she said.
“It would be great to see the Mount Gambier community get involved, even if they can only spare an hour – for a long time the garden has looked unloved.
“I think it will be an ongoing process as there is quite a bit of work.”
Ms Thompson said the group would likely pick up where they left off in “a couple of weeks”.
“We will meet here again on a Saturday or Sunday,” she said.
“We are working on one section at a time, we will prune the roses and tidy everything up.”
Email mareet24@bigpond.com for more information or to get involved.
