Hellens Manor Volunteers + Caroline Handley (Handley Organics)

At Hellens, the Garden Volunteers are an essential part of the estate. Around 14 in number, they meet weekly during the summer and fortnightly in the winter. All are retired or semi-retired professionals, bringing a wealth of experience from fields such as floristry and engineering.

Their dedication supports both the day-to-day running of the site and larger, long-term projects, including constructing compost toilets for the Garden Festival, creating productive vegetable, fruit, and flower gardens and planting thousands of trees as part of a land regeneration initiative.

In addition, they take on tasks such as flower arranging, preserving historic carriages, making preserves, and managing seasonal work like pruning, coppicing, harvesting, and planting.

Beyond the gardens, this team plays a vital role at events, helping with car parking, running bars, and assisting at the produce market, festivals, and music weekends.

Over the past four years, the group has grown into a close-knit team. Their kindness, capability, and unwavering commitment are deeply appreciated; they are truly at the heart of Hellens.

Journey Stick, created by Lynda Whitehouse