Merton College

Volunteers work on a school garden

Teams of young people at the College’s seven Prince’s Trust centres across the region are hitting the headlines for all the right reasons. The teams, which get involved in volunteering projects and fundraising, have been featured in several local newspapers and magazines recently for the good work they are doing in the community.
The Mortlake-based Team were featured in the Richmond and Twickenham Times for their work at a local church. After obtaining donations of paint and tools from local shops, the group of 16-25 year olds used their manual skills to redecorate the United Reformed Church in Mortlake. In all the team carried out around £3000 worth of work and the renovated areas are now available for community use.
The Kingston Team made the first page of the Surrey Comet for their work creating a sensory garden for pupils at Green Lane Primary School. Garden areas devoted to taste, sight, touch and smell were dug and planted by the group, who also added a musical garden with wind chimes and water features.
Teams from Wandsworth, Merton, Sutton, Croydon and Penge have also regularly made their local papers, spreading the good news across South London. It’s not just local newspapers either – one team appeared in Match magazine interviewing Chelsea footballer John Terry.
At a time where so many negative headlines are written it’s great to see young people making a positive impact on the area and the media!

Edited on - 12 November 2009