Crew from RAF High Wycombe have helped staff give a care home’s outdoor areas a spring clean.

Eight service personnel donned gardening gloves and brought brooms, rakes and trowels when they came to Royal Star & Garter in High Wycombe to help staff clean terrace areas and tidy outdoor spaces.

Royal Star & Garter is a charity which provides loving, compassionate care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia. The charity also has Homes in Solihull and Surbiton.

The visit took place on Monday 6 March. The volunteers spent three hours cleaning areas outside the Home’s Activities Room, and outside the nursing and dementia care areas.

They cut back foliage and cleaned out raised garden beds, pulling out weeds which had sprung up over the winter, and turned over the soil.

The RAF crew also brought with them cakes to share with Royal Star & Garter staff and residents.

The cold weather prevented veterans from venturing outside to help, but they were able to watch through the windows, while some green-fingered residents passed on advice.

‘We cannot wait to visit the Home again’

RAF High Wycombe has chosen Royal Star & Garter to be one of its official charities of the year. Among those helping with the spring clean was Flight Lieutenant White. He is Officer in Command of RAF High Wycombe’s Station Charities Committee, and said: “We had a great time at the Home, helping to get the outdoor areas ready for the warmer weather, and it was helpful having residents share their gardening knowledge while we worked. We are pleased to be supporting Royal Star & Garter as our local charity and cannot wait to visit the Home again soon. I am extremely grateful that the wonderful staff at Royal Star & Garter are taking such good care of those who have served their country so proudly.”

‘Incredibly grateful to RAF High Wycombe’

Lauren Baker, Senior Community Fundraiser at Royal Star & Garter, was also a volunteer on the day. She said: “We are incredibly grateful that the crew from RAF High Wycombe took the time out of their day to join us, equipped with gardening tools and cake, to help with our spring clean. We were able to cut back and clear away vegetation that had grown over winter, and the veterans are now looking forward to making good use of the outdoor spaces in spring and summer. Residents had a good time chatting to us, and gave lots of useful tips and advice as we went about our work.”

Royal Star & Garter in High Wycombe is welcoming new residents. For more information on this, or to work at the Home, please go to www.starandgarter.org/hw