Restore Our Church Garden, Saints Simon & Jude

I want to introduce myself. I am Miss Jessie Smith and am doing the DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD GOLD. When I looked at the list of what I could do and how I could achieve my goals, I thought of doing many different roles but was very unsure of what I could do to make a difference; I was so uncertain about what I could do that would make a long term difference …

Then I had a meeting with Father Valentine from Saints Simon and Jude Catholic Church

Saints Simon and Jude Church has an extraordinary place in my heart as I was baptised there 16 years ago and feel a strong bond within the church; the church has been going through difficult times and challenges with the pandemic. What life throws at an incredible Church, and we have seen more events than my grandparents can remember, like, during the war, it stood its ground and the strong parishioners holding us up there.

I have been given permission and have a plan to restore our church garden, starting with creating an "Orchid Events Garden” I have been informed you only need two apple trees to have an orchid garden! With a mild relaxing effect for the elderly, children and families of our community have a beautiful place to feel refreshed to meditate and if they wish to have company, a chat, or be alone.

The pandemic left many people from young to the elderly feeling affected by this pandemic I want to bring happiness, health, good eating, fitness, joy and security to us all in our little garden, a place to reflect, chat, listen and give or accept advice and be there for each other as a strong community not just saying we care but showing we care and move away from all the past(I know we can’t have a future without a history) and start a great new positive story for our garden.

One of my ideas was to restore the old pond maybe and put a safety barrier around the pond so all the children and adults are safe from falling in and having a swim but can appreciate the fish that will swim along with us. If I am fortunate to have a library because I love books and have found great pleasure in reading and would like to share that with the community, my friends and I started a “read this book” and would read a book and give a rating and then my other friend would do the same we have read so many books. It has been so much fun, and I think this would be good to introduce this in the library if I can raise enough funds.

We can also have a few coffee mornings or afternoons to let our community know we are there, and it can be a place where we can come together and chat and not feel lonely at home or, if not lonely, just a place to meet and talk and have a moment to be a part of something, somewhere where we can be a family or even a meet and chat to feel that we are there for one another

I will also seek advice to plant a few rose trees, one to be produced by an older parishioner and one by a younger parishioner, and plant flowers with a relaxing and calming effect, with colours to brighten up and introduce a restored Church Garden.

Please stand by me, help me achieve my goals, and help my community inspire more children to do the same.

Kind Regards

Miss Jessie Smith