With the volunteer guidance of first year Further Education Countryside student, Jack Davies, youngsters lent a helping hand at a local country park.
A total of 18 children of varying ages, together with their parents, gathered at Danbury Lakes, in Danbury Country Park, to assist ranger Andrea Gabriel and Jack to construct raised flower beds for the walled garden.
The activity day was part of the Safe (Supporting Asperger Families in Essex) Stuff (Social Training Using Fun & Friendship) Project, which is aimed at six to 12-year-olds who suffer from Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism, or have a family member who does.
Andrea said: “The idea of making raised beds was to create an area of the garden which would be simple to maintain, would produce flowers to attract bees, be drought-resistant, hardy and yet also complement the design of the walled garden.
“I thought it would be a practical task, with an achievable aim, and that the children would enjoy planting the fragrant herbs.
“Jack's help was invaluable. He took a group of children, on his own, worked with them patiently and with authority. Jack was faced with and handled excellently a few rather challenging situations and I can honestly say I could not have done the activity without him.”