Sentinel digs for victory to beat downturn

Staff from Sentinel Housing Association are pulling on their wellies to turn an under-used communal area in the Hampshire village into a vegetable garden, to help residents beat the recent food hikes.

Residents of a block of flats at the Becketts called in Sentinel for help, so the landlord is sending a Community Impact Team of 20 staff to build raised beds, and install a garden feature – and will finish the project in a single day.

Project Manager Anne Morley said: “I’ve been growing on cabbages and other veg at home, for an instant transformation of a neglected corner of this development. Some residents are joining in, and for us, it’s a chance to get out into the community to make a genuine positive impact.”

The garden makeover is one of six ambitious community projects to be delivered by Sentinel staff across north Hampshire all on the same day, including painting a village hall, running a ballroom tea dance, building a vegetable garden, landscaping wasteland, and running a family fun day.