Green-fingered visit for team at homeless charity

Representatives from M&Y and Petrus on the training day along with local partners

taff and volunteers from Rochdale based charity the Petrus Community revved up for a masterclass in using garden power tools.

The team from M&Y – the repairs and maintenance arm of leading North West housing group Regenda – spent the day at Petrus’s Green Gym in Beswicke Royds Street.

Petrus, which provides a range of services including housing and support to people who have been homeless, operates the Green Gym to provide horticultural training for service users. It also encourages them to engage with the local community through a variety of gardening projects, such as working on the grounds of St Peter’s Church in Newbold.

Darrel Rogers, Garden Contracts Manager for M&Y, visited the gym with other members of his team. The training included looking at health and safety, correctly using the gardening equipment, and a display of tree management. Attendees were also shown how to handle larger petrol-powered equipment.

He said: “We really enjoyed our time with Petrus, and luckily the weather was on our side. Everyone really got involved, and hopefully it will improve their skills and contribute to the success of their project.”

Two local councillors, Karen Burke and Daalat Ali, also attended.

Martin Topham, Project Manager at Beswicke Royds Street, said: “Everyone who took part found the class to be extremely informative and useful. It’s helped the team feel more confident, and given them the knowledge to successfully and safely carry out these kinds of tasks in the community.”