Staff from Lloyds Banking Group once again used their volunteering day to help at the Orchard Trust residential and short break home in Ruardean.

Staff from Lloyds visited the home last year to clean the patio area, paint fences and prepare the garden furniture. This year, when the group visited in late June, they helped to tidy the garden at ‘Hilltop’. They aimed to help make the outdoor space a pleasant and stimulating environment for the people who live and stay at the home.

The Orchard Trust is a charity in the Forest of Dean that supports the involvement, independence and development of people with learning disabilities. The Trust benefits hugely from corporate volunteering and has been able to carry out projects such as a sensory garden in their Coleford residential home and work on the Orchard Trust smallholding.

Jill Malsom the manager of Hilltop said: “Our many thanks go to the volunteers from Lloyds bank who worked so hard in extreme heat conditions to clear out weeds from our tiered garden.”

She added that the volunteers’ hard work is very much appreciated by staff and residents’