Our stories

Henry's story: working in the woodshed

"Nick Skillet the nursery manager is really fun to be around and always enthusiastic, and Tatu [Charity Manager] is generous, supportive, always there and available to speak to."
Henry
Greenfingers Service User

Henry has been visiting Basingstoke Mencap as a service user since March 2021. He enjoys all aspects of Greenfingers as he likes keeping busy – whether gardening, undertaking general maintenance or engaging in the social aspect of being part of the community.

His favourite place to be found on site is the woodworking studio which offers Greenfingers service users the facility to  produce ‘woodwork for wildlife’, a range of homes for garden visitors. Here, he has learned to use power tools under supervision (e.g. mitre saw for precision angles and scroll saw for intricate shapes and designs) alongside more traditional hand tools. He produces components for windmills, bug boxes and plant troughs, all of which are sold at regular open days throughout the summer alongside the plants grown on site.

As the woodworking carpentry trainee, he is also a keyholder to the workshop and enjoys having the responsibility of keeping the area clean, safe and tidy for all service users.

Henry loves helping and teaching others but has also found the Greenfingers to be a huge personal support network.