YOUNG volunteers gave up their time to make over the garden of an older resident in York.

The makeover was the 19th Enable project to take place in the four years since the scheme was launched.

The initiative is a partnership between City of York Council’s specialist housing advice service and SASH, a youth homeless charity that provides accommodation and support to young people.

It partners young people from SASH with older people who may be struggling with jobs in and around their homes.

With the help of York councillor Helen Douglas, the young people, who had been facing homelessness before they were referred to SASH, spruced up the garden of Gordon Richardson, aged 83, of Acomb. This involved trimming, digging, mending, pruning and tidying to transform the garden into a more manageable space in which Mr Richards will be able to enjoy the summer.

Cllr Douglas, executive member for housing and safer neighbourhoods at City of York Council, said: “Enable projects are a culmination of the willingness of young volunteers to learn and to help their communities, and the cooperation of SASH with housing advice services, who support this project with coaching, resources and their desire to improve the lives of York’s vulnerable residents.”

Over the past four years young volunteers have given their time to help older people in York who struggle with jobs around the home and garden. The young people have learnt skills which will be useful for when they have a place of their own, while the older people get to pass on their knowledge and make new friends. The volunteers are supervised and coached by leaders from SASH and the council who roll up their sleeves and also help with the work at hand.