Chiswick House Kitchen Garden Volunteers Are Certifiable!

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Long-serving, hard-working volunteers received token of thanks

Several of the Kitchen Garden’s most long-serving and hard-working volunteers received thank you certificates this week from the Volunteer Centre Hounslow.

Jutta Wagner received hers for all the work she puts into designing and planning the garden, timetabling sowing and planting so effectively that the school visits always have a selection of growing tasks, and making the garden beautiful and harmonious.

Alan Wadner received his for keeping the garden running on a day-to-day basis so effectively, ensuring that equipment and all other practical aspects of the project are well managed.

Helen Whitman runs the gardening club and the plant stall in the café with great panache.

Jennie Figaro is responsible for the school picnics that follow each gardening session, and also takes special responsibility for ensuring the greenhouses are always spic and span.

Madeleine Dinkel has taken responsibility for the mature lemon trees discovered dying in a locked greenhouse, which she has nursed back to health over the past three years.

Nicky Milligan has been in charge of seed-sowing with the schools, ensuring a continual supply of accurately sown and evenly spaced seedlings from the hands of small children.

Mary Walker is one of the longest-established and most reliable members of the school team.

Sarah Morris-Bray, Volunteer Support Project Manager, said: ‘It was lovely to have the chance to come down and present these awards in such a nice setting. This kind of project just couldn’t function without the hours of hard work, enthusiasm and dedication of volunteers like these.’

Project Co-ordinator Karen Liebreich commented: ‘We were only allowed to choose about half-a-dozen, and in fact there are 30 or 40 of us working very hard on this project, so it was almost impossible to choose. But these guys have been outstanding in their commitment.’

June 25, 2008