A national children's charity has been able to enhance the lives of a dozen seriously ill children and their families thanks to the support of the UK's leading artificial grass manufacturer.
WellChild Helping Hands works with teams of volunteers from local companies to complete garden makeovers for children or young people with a serious illness or a severe disability with exceptional health needs.
Thanks to a donation of over 400m2 of artificial grass from TigerTurf, the charity has been able to complete 11 separate garden projects in the last six months – immediately benefitting 12 children with conditions such as global developmental delay, epilepsy, visual impairment, or cerebral palsy.
By using TigerTurf's best-selling Finesse artificial grass to rejuvenate the gardens, WellChild has been able to allow children with sensory processing difficulties to enjoy the texture and uniform colour of their new garden in all conditions, while also giving parents providing 24 hour care a surface which is easy to clean, requires very little maintenance and is also wheelchair accessible.
The partnership between the charity and TigerTurf resulted from an initial donation to transform the garden of three-year-old Lilee Anne Geach in Wolverhampton – a project which came about through contacts at Wolverhampton Wanderers after significant work at the club's Wolfie's Den indoor children's facility as well as its £7 million Academy and Arena.
One of the gardens completed was for Ben, aged 5 who has cerebral palsy, developmental delay, chronic lung disease and epilepsy. By using a large area of artificial grass, WellChild was able to make the garden completely accessible for him in his wheelchair. His mum said: "Fantastic! It means I don't worry about my child being outside. My son is going to benefit so much from it."
Lee Trunks, Head of Helping Hands, at WellChild, commented: "We are extremely grateful for TigerTurf's generous support. We regularly use artificial grass for the garden makeovers we complete because of the long list of benefits it has for children and young people with varying needs. Thanks to TigerTurf's donation, a dozen children and their parents have been given a garden they can access safely and enjoy all year round."
Paul Langford, managing director at TigerTurf, added: "WellChild's garden makeovers make an incredible difference to the lives of so many, and we were only too happy to lend a hand."