Christian Church, Christian faith, community outreach, edir macedo, Outreach, Peckham Rye Park, peer group,
Monday 28th July 2014
A transformation took place at the community wildlife garden in Peckham Rye Park on Saturday July 26th thanks to ten members of the local branch of the Victory Youth Group (VYG).
Each year, the group puts something back into the community when members give their time and energy to an environmental or clean up project as part of their annual ‘We Care! – Youth Engagement’ initiative.
This year the Friends of Peckham Rye Park benefitted from their enthusiasm for community outreach, as the VYG ensured that the garden was returned to the top tip condition achieved after a major cleanup in 2012.
Work started early on a blazing hot morning after the VYG volunteers were briefed by representatives of the ‘Friends’ who would be supervising the clean and they had the tools they would be using explained to them.
The volunteers were then split into three groups and got to work. The first group set about cutting down overgrown lavender bushes; and another group dealt with overgrown bushes around the perimeter of the wildlife garden.
The grittiest task, however, went to the VYG members who cleared big weeds from around the frog pond, where there were bees and no shortage of slugs, snails and stinging nettles. The space was totally transformed when they finished.
For their part the VYG volunteers were happy with the outcome, having worked hard and enjoyed the challenge. Symphonia Bokulu, said: ‘‘It was very nice to help out the community, a real pleasure and something quite different for me.”
Michael Mansaray, added: “We were treated with the upmost respect and naturally did the same for the people who worked there. The entire day was an adventure and very different from our normal Saturdays. Definitely an experience worth learning from. They loved us so much that they even invited us to come back.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
UCKG is a Christian church and registered charity that offers a range of practical support activities alongside spiritual support and comfort and welcomes all-comers. It reached the UK in 1995 and has gone from strength to strength, providing support and spreading the Christian faith. There are UCKG HelpCentre branches in England and Wales.
VYG is the UCKG HelpCentre’s youth group. Open to 15 – 25 year olds, the VYG provides family-style peer group support and helps and encourages the young to be the best that they can be.
For further information please contact the UCKG HelpCentre Press Officer via e-mail on press@uckgnew.org or direct line 020 7686 6033.
