A TEAM of staff from a Basingstoke business helped put the finishing touches to a new garden pond and vegetable patch for a mental health charity.

Ten volunteers from SSE’s metering department took a day out from their normal working lives to help create a relaxing space in the garden of Together UK, in Cliddesden Road, for residents to enjoy.

The national charity works with around 4,000 adults a month who suffer from complex mental health issues, to help them build a positive future.

The garden had been started months ago, and the team from SSE came to finish the work through its company’s Community at Heart scheme, which gives staff a day out of the office to help a local group in their area.

Chantelle McSweeney, compliance and technical assurance manager at SSE, who was one of the volunteers involved in the project, said: “The day was a wonderful opportunity for us to really give something back to the community. Volunteers and residents were thrilled to see the gardens transformed throughout the course of the day from an overgrown, neglected space to a calm and peaceful setting with new plants, landscaping and a pond for all to enjoy, including the frogs!”

Kerri Marshall, a care assistant at Together UK, added: “We wanted to provide a peaceful garden which residents can use to relax. Without the help of SSE volunteers it would have taken us months to get the garden into its current state.

“Before SSE came along, there was no structure to the garden and it was rarely used by residents. It is now becoming a nice place to relax and we are grateful for their hard work.”