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At Your Service – Cappagh Hospital Garden

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At Your Service RTE TV Christmas Special, Cappagh Hospital Garden.

  • When: Wed 22 December 2010,
  • Time: 8 – 8.30pm
  • TV Channel: RTÉ One

Courtesy RTE.ie

Francis and John Brennan are challenged to makeover two children’s wards at the Cappagh Hospital and transform a disused garden space for the in time for the annual Christmas party, but they have no budget and must beg, borrow and steal building materials for the project

It can be watched on RTE player.

Update: This [below] went live after the show and the garden story goes as such:

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The garden created in Cappagh Hospital was for The RTE 2010 At Your Service Christmas Special, a television programme presented by Sean and Francis Brennan. It began as a result of meeting really nice people and ended knowing that it was an honour to have been in their company.

Around mid October 2010 a phone call came in. The gist was that Laura would like me to build a garden, for free. The lovely voice asked that I come and simply take a look.

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On initial inspection, the garden space outside had some industrial planting and the courtyard walls were industrial grey. On a more detailed note, the garden had no access, apart from a side alley that one could only access through a semi excavated building site. I then found out the hospital had zero euro of a budget, the garden was to be built within 3 weeks of that day and that that resulting garden maybe shown on Irish television as a Christmas tv special.

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I agreed. But, the final garden is with massive thanks to so many people who all donated their time, products, services and so much more than the extra mile, because they were very simply nice people. The garden was also just one part of what I can only describe as very much a bigger picture.

There was one day that should be noted when I and George came down to find this poem and note stuck inside the window. The words are now painted on one of the garden walls. In my opinion, if what I have done in this garden achieves what is written in this poem, I’m am quite simply the happiest gardener I know.

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Further:

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Wallacedene & the garden of hope team 2009

update: table quiz dec 3rd malahide…?

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To read post number one of the journey – click here

They say the gardening team were a special bunch. I’m unsure whether some meant that with a touch of humour…. 😉 But the truth is we were are. The reality is though that that humour is so necessary. When I think to one of last years highlights, that of Gerry taking the tv remote to work rather than his mobile phone… the milage 70 odd adults got out of that. Child like, maybe, but necessary.

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With that in mind, it also summises the one thing you must bring with you on your trip and equally as important the one thing you must leave as home…

This year some of us agreed to lay amongst the random dappled paving *ahem approximately 3 metres of just pink and the white….  the laugh it got and I still smile when I see Adrian break out laughing followed by Betty asking who is that man…? as she nods toward head foreman Dermot. It lasted us the entire week…

If you were thinking of travelling across and you were on your own… you’re not. Everyone rooms in with someone. It was my room mate Padraic’s first trip. I never saw him until the Thursday 😆

On the gardeners first night that everyone was in Cape Town dinner was organised for us by one of our pink [t-shirt] ladies Rosetta. On the third night a karaoke inter team showdown was organised…. which the gardeners [jointly] won! It really is very much a case of as long as you have a name badge on you are not alone.

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After hearing some of the school children sing happy birthday followed by It’s a long way to Tipperary to Anne Marie for her birthday… the highlight of the week for the gardeners[in my opinion] has to be Sluggers annual awards ceremony [the bit in the vid where we’re all in the school desks]. There were awards for best builders bum, legs, crappest workmanship, best excuse…. the list goes on. I won one of my two medals [yet again] for best chat up line… I have to thank [?!!] Niamh for this one 😉 It was just after 6am… or at least thats my excuse… 😆   

Jees you’ve got lovely hair Elvis

The day starts generally with breakfast at about 6.15 – 7am depending. From there a coach brought us on a 20 minute jouney to the township from our hotel. Everyone is scanned in from the name badge. All t-shirts are colour coded. We had a morning break at about 10am and the lunch at about 1pm. From there is was straight through less a 3pm cuppa until 5, sometimes later. The coach then returned us to our hotels.

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During the day, people were brought on a visit to a shack. I did this in year one. One meets a family who may be getting a house. One meets their family… gets an insight. If ever you doubted why you were there… that moment disappears within seconds of this. It is such an important part.

The work is hard. It is tough. I make no bones about that. Physically and mentally. One is away from home. One misses their loved ones, naturally. But what everyone takes from this is life changing and worth every sacrafice  second of it. There are medics assigned to each team and believe me no stone in the preparation is left unturned. That said if you only came out to rub sun cream on builders legs, hand out bottles of salted water or plant one tree you have made a difference.

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I remember on our final night. The rap party as it is called. Niall told the story of a man who went to the beach every day and threw a washed up starfish back into the sea. After some days of doing this every day, a man approached and asked why he bothers to do this…. after all they just keep on getting washed back up. What difference would it make? The man replied that to that one starfish, it makes a difference.  That story is told by a man who every year I have gone has welcomed every single volunteer, individually off the plane from Ireland to thank them for coming.

To those of you who helped me out along the way… either by donation or just a helping hand while I was gone. To those of you who I had the honour of meeting while I was there and to those who are not mentioned here…. thank you, thank you and thank you so very much. I hope this goes a little to show my appreciation. You did make a difference.

I’ve uploaded all of my 2009 blitz images/ photographs here

A great overview of the entire week can be read on the official Niall Mellon Township Trust blog – click here – you should also visit here if you are interested in travelling next year.

To visit my charity website click here 

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niall mellon township building blitz 2009

update: table quiz dec 3rd malahide…?

950 Volunteers – 1 Week – 200 New Houses

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Wallacedene, Cape Town, South Africa.

My third year to travel with The Garden of Hope Team, this year was always going to be yet another amazing project. As most of you know by now, I travel not to build houses but as part of a team of gardeners to, this year, build a community playground, football pitch and vegetable and fruit gardens.

What we didn’t bank on was the rain…. and by God did it fall.

But the options were….? We did have one half day of rain stops play… we then worked through as it got worse to make up the lost hours. And in the end it did work out. The sun started shining. It was always gonna happen 😉

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I’ve had to pause here writing this post…. It’s upsetting to be honest. My voice is gone. My bones are sore. There’s a pride inside me for what I as part of a team did… and then I think that maybe I could have done more. I’ve tears in my eyes. I’ve turned on the heating and type on my laptop and I’m trying, really trying not to write a sad post. Maybe to speak of the families and children with HIV and on housing lists for over 20 years…. when the rain came down one of the guys was telling me of a man they met with a frying pan trying to keep the water from his shack. I doubt he slept that night. But the people are so happy, friendly and polite. The children still smile. To see them dancing in middle of the water feature… that was the moment I took. Maybe I’ve numbed slightly to it after 3 years…

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I heard of one lady. Originally from South Africa. She works in a pub in Ireland and for the last five years has saved her tips. This year she done the trip. She paid €5,000 to come to South Africa to work. The same as all of the Irish did. I worked with ladies in their 60’s and 70’s who laboured as myself and Colin lay cobbles. I met people who had lost loved ones so recently. Those who had no jobs to return home to in Ireland…. I’ve just thought of them too.

I’m gonna sit and have a cuppa now. The vid is done. I have some writing done here and a blog post to thank you all so much for your support. In garden terms… I think you’ll agree the volunteers made the best of it and kept the smile sunny side up… More than that – I know you will agree that our new friends in Wallacedene love it.

Thank you all for everything…. see you in a little.

to read post no. 2 of the journey – click here

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I’ve uploaded all of my 2009 blitz images/ photographs here

A great overview of the entire week can be read on the official Niall Mellon Township Trust blog – click hereReblog this post [with Zemanta]

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khayelitsha, south africa 2008 – part 3/3

part 1 of the khayelitsha story is here

part 2 of the khayelitsha story is here

the deadline was Friday lunch-time. I believe it was 3 minutes before one when we finished. Some were on the plane within 12 hours, some where stayng on a bit longer. I had an extra day – to sleep mainly. So many more needed a lot more than that. It was worth it. Another journey was complete. 253 houses were built. A community was given a centre. I played a very small part. I was proud to have done so. I dont have so many photographs of the complete garden, surprising, possibly. But the official blog was there along and so too was the Niall Mellon Township website.

Will I return next year. Yes. Will I need your help. Yes. If you can help – please call. To those who did help me this year – from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much 🙂 It was appreciated.

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south africa, 2008, gardens & the niall mellon township…

is it worth it....?
is it worth it....?

Thursday 27th November I will go to Cape Town for the second time until the 8th December to work as part of a garden team of over 100 people to build community gardens.

The gardens are only a part of what will happen in Cape Town as this year [again] over 2000 people, mainly from Ireland, will have raised and/ or donated a minimum of €5,000 each to travel to South Africa for almost 2 weeks to build homes [in my case gardens] with The Niall Mellon Township Trust.

We may say things are not so good in Ireland. Some may even say ‘we’ have just entered tough times. I disagree and this is simply just another reason as to why I still say life is good… sorry, life is very good 🙂 We are so so fortunate and this simply makes me appreciate more as to why I feel so good [and should…] about life.

To those who helped out in any way [no matter how small you believe it was] from the bottom of my heart thank you, it is really so very much appreciated.

All south africa garden posts are here. If you would like to know more about The Niall Mellon Township Trust – click here.

*you* made the difference.
*you* made the difference.

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