A new community garden for people with learning disabilities has opened in Chigwell as a charity held a special thank you picnic.

Voluntary Action Epping Forest (VAEF) launched the new community garden at Grange Farm, Chigwell, which also hosted the picnic to thank its volunteers and families for their efforts for the community during the pandemic.

The garden is open on Mondays and Thursdays from 10am to 2pm and offers supported placements for people with learning disabilities.

It was opened on Friday by the chair of Epping Forest Council, Helen Kane. Presentations were made to Trevor Johnson, chairman of the Grange Farm Trust, and Susan Copeland, East Regional chairman of Essex County Organiser of the National Garden Scheme, who helped fund a poly tunnel. The garden is part funded by the Essex County Council Community Initiatives Fund (ECC CIF).

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Sally Panrucker, who runs the ACE activities project for VAEF, said, “It was such an amazing day, to see our gardeners receive such recognition for their hard work. The gardens and vegetables looked stunning. Well done everyone."

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The VAEF community picnic was also a great success. Despite the rain, more than 100 people turned up to enjoy their picnics, hear music from the VAEF ‘Hands Up To Music’, see key volunteers be presented with certificates of appreciation and enjoy cake and refreshments provided by the NHS.

The picnic was held to thank VAEF volunteers who were crucial to the charity during the pandemic, helping vulnerable residents throughout Epping Forest, as well as stewarding at the vaccination clinics at Buckhurst Way and St Margaret's Hospital.

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They provided 3,528 volunteer hours at the two vaccination sites, delivered 16,833 lots of shopping and 2,679 prescriptions to shielding families and individuals.

Volunteers also made more than 11,000 wellbeing calls to vulnerable individuals to ensure they were not isolated during the various lockdowns.

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