George Potten- Millenium Garden
MARCH 2002

It all started in 1997 when I had the idea of turning a piece of waste ground on our housing estate into a garden. At this time I had my first stroke and had been retired from work. Although I could no longer work I was still very active in my mind and felt I had something to give and was not going to sit around and wait for the inevitable. We got in touch with our local community projects officer and she was just as enthusiastic about the project. The next thing was to set up a committee, that was the easiest bit as everyone wanted this to go ahead.

We then started to raise the necessary capital, after working out a rough cost of the project I came up with a guide of between £14,000 - £18,000. Two housing associations gave us £200 each, and the county council recycling group donated as much composted waste as we needed. We accumulated equipment and reached the figure to get charity status for this type of project. I didn't realise what we were taking on, my phone bill soared and so did those of other members of the committee, my wife was not pleased but when I get my teeth into something I don't let go. Two neighbours, Lou and Dave, sent letters out and made loads of phone calls as well, all of these costs we took on our own shoulders. We wanted to make sure we didn't stagnate as a lot of good ideas do. Armed with all of this we started to apply for grants from the lottery, we were turned down (first set back). More meetings and we tried a different approach and asked Ground Force if they would help. (Second set back) they sent a photo of the Ground Force team; I suppose we could have tried to auction this to raise funds! So we decided the only way forward was the media, we had lots of photos taken and interviews with the local newspapers. Our local MP and our local councillor both endorsed the project.

The next set back was that the local community project officer left (third set back). It seemed that whatever way we went we were blocked, but with the determination we had and the community bond we have always had, we were not going to give up. Lou and Dave have, and still do, work selflessly on this project. I have had to step back from it a bit due to another stroke at the beginning of 2001 that left me with a speech problem and further paralysis in some of my limbs. We kept going, applying to masses of local companies for help. All the letters we got back were negative, most never even bothered to reply to us. Finally we applied for a local council grant that is for this type of project. Lou, Dave and I, on behalf of the committee, were invited to the council meeting to put our ideas to them. This was very nerve racking, Lou and I had to present the project to them at a table in front of them all, as I cannot talk very well Lou did the presentation, she put it across fantastically and my drawing was past around the councillors. They were very impressed and gave it the thumbs up. To our astonishment we were given the maximum amount possible of £15,000. I was absolutely choked, Lou had done a fantastic job of presenting our case, the chairman said that they had better finish on that subject as they all had lumps in their throats.

My work on this is now done but I will help with as much maintenance as I can and if need be advise other people who want to start their own. We have photos as the work has gone on and you can see them on the pages with short descriptions depicting the progress. Our main aim now is to keep up the garden and make sure that it is not vandalised. As I write this we have had some of the shrubs taken, it just goes to show what some people will stoop to just to save a few pounds, THEY HAVE BEEN CAUGHT ON CCTV AND WE AWAIT THE OUTCOME.

We have had great interest from the local council on this project and they have taken photos of the work in progress. I can only hope they feel as proud as we do on the out come. If it was not for them and the sheer determination of the committee and residents we would still be looking for help to complete it. There are so many people to thank I could go on forever. The garden is completely friendly for the partially sighted and for the blind, also for wheelchair users.

You can see by the photo below as the work progressed 13th February, at last after 5 long years of hard work the fencing goes up and the work starts on the paths.

After week three, shrubs are in and the lawns are being laid, the posts for the trees are in as well. The trees are planted and the lawns are laid. Just waiting for the benches and all the hard work has been done! What a transformation! The comments are fantastic and people are clearing up their own gardens. The benches have to be put in when they arrive.

AT LAST ALL THE WORK IS NOW COMPLETE!!

Update, April 2009

Well I have managed to survive two more strokes. The last one was a year ago that has affected my right side, not too bad but has hampered me a bit.

Over the last couple of years I have continued with my work with the community the best I can from sitting behind this desk in my house. However I get very tired and can only stay for a bit then rest, I can no longer paint as my hand has deteriorated and the shakes are so bad that some times I can not hold a fork in the only good hand I have. I, or should I say we (my wife and I), try to make light of it, like going out to a pub for dinner with friends my with talks to the staff and I find most places will help by cutting up say meat, if I have a steak, in the kitchens before bringing it to the table. Now this is where we say we make light of it if I up say pepper on my dinner my friend would say "Hold on, George is peppering his dinner, any one want some - hold out your plate, he has got the tremors bad tonight," or like eating peas if you have tremors the woman or man on the next table could get a fork full before you reach your mouth - you end up with one pea and the woman ten down her front!

Back to a bit more of my strokes, I have after the millennium garden story been made citizen of the year in our town in 2004, a great honour, and Dr Hillary Jones presented the award to me that I will treasure for ever.

I have been rushed into hospital a few times with problems, twice being put on life support, but the care love and the way our hospital treat not only me but my family, giving them all their support, is second to none. I do not know if I will survive another stroke but I can not and will not let it beat me. I was put on this earth to achieve a goal and after all I have done still feel I have more to give to many people I know say I have had a stroke and I can not do to me there is no words can not do. Yes things get in the way but you can get over them even if you have to ask for help. I had my stroke back in the 90s and in total I have had three. They have left me with epileptic fits my heart find it hard to cope and I have lost most of my sight. Has this stopped me? No. Last year I reached the grand old age of sixty. I have seen in that time from my first stroke four grandchildren born, one has been named after me (this tradition has gone back to the beginning of the 1800s). I may have said this before so please bear with me, when I lost my speech my grandson helped me to talk again. By this I am saying that he would come over and play bob with me - he would hide and keep jumping out from behind the chair and I had to say boo he would keep this up all day long if he could from that small word came the idea of writing children’s stories, but a problem - every story I wrote the word came out back to front, so the family got the (BEAST) as I called it - my computer. That was the day BOO AND HOGS ADVENTURS started. I have written over sixty of them now and to my surprise for my sixtieth birthday my family all got together and had my first twenty stories published, What a great birthday present it was, So did I put my books in the shops the answer is NO my wife took me round all the schools in the area and I gave them all away to my family and to the schools. I have had some wonderful letters from children, one day a large brown envelope came in the door and one school all the children sent letters and their own drawings of the stories as like in the book all the pictures were done by my grandson aged six and my nice who was eleven. When I saw all the pictures I sat with my wife and we both had lumps in our throats because it was the work of children enjoying life.

Do I have ambitions and goals? The answer is yes. I am not done yet - all must fight and never ever give up on life.

Thanks to George for sending in his experience. Anyone else who would like to share their story can send it along with a photograph (if you're not shy!)

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