COUNCIL URGED NOT TO CLOSE 'SOCIAL CARE' GARDEN CENTRE

TWO men who built a West London garden centre “brick by brick” say it's been a victim of council underfunding for decades, as they call for it to be saved from closure.

- By PHILIP JAMES LYNCH Local democracy reporter

They have urged Hillingdon Council to reverse plans to close the Rural Activities Garden Centre (RAGC) near Hayes. Mark Pearman and Alan Wellstead built the garden centre over 40 years ago in 1981.

They said: “We know every sort of brick and tree, all of this was planted by us we built everything At the start there were 10 guys here, but then it just grew and the public started to like it and people began to use the service.”

The Rural Activities Garden Centre, maintained by volunteers with a range of learning difficulties, remains under threat of imminent closure by Hillingdon Council. The local authority says “the RAGC’s retail operations are not economically viable, and we cannot expect residents to subsidise a loss-making garden centre”.

Alan and Mark say they predicted that once the focus of the garden centre became commercial, rather than on social care, it would close down. Alan said: “It could have stayed as just a social services resource, and all the positive benefits that come from that, or if funded properly, turn them a profit.”

Over the years, Alan and Mark would help to create care plans for adults with learning difficulties who would volunteer at the garden centre. Within this, they'd set individual targets and goals for each volunteer.

Mark said: “We'd be looking to see people progress as well. Alan used to use the statement ‘we're not just growing plants - but growing people.”