By Neil Kirkby, Managing Director, SSE Enterprise
25.09.2022 - 11:23 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A once-disused plot of land in Salford has been transformed into a garden that’s giving veterans a new lease of life. The project is the brainchild of ex-military man Vinny Neild, from Irlam, who started work on the garden back in February after finding himself at an impasse in his life and in search of purpose.
“For years I’ve had something bothering me," Vinny told the Manchester Evening News. "I wanted to do something, I’m an ex forces man and I’ve always been doing something. I just thought I could do something more for people than what I’m doing.”
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Since i’s inception The Allotment for Veterans on Tindall Street has been going from strength to strength - and now has over 70 members who visit.
The garden has become place for people to talk, have a cup of tea, do some gardening or simply relax. Vinny says it has become a ‘lifeline’ for veterans.
“It’s just grown and grown, from nothing to what it is now," he said. “I didn’t think it would turn into something special. I met a fellow veteran recently and I invited him down and he’s been here ever since, we’re good friends now and we work very well together.
“We’ve got veterans on there now who are lonely and they say if it wasn’t for the Allotment for Veterans they probably would have done themselves in.”
Vinny, 65, joined the army back in 1975. During his seven year stint he was deployed to places like Germany, Canada and Northern Ireland, where he was sent on his 18 th birthday to ‘patrol the streets’ amidst the Troubles.
After leaving the force in 1982, Vinny went on to become a heavy goods driver but had to retire early after suffering injuries
By Neil Kirkby, Managing Director, SSE Enterprise
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