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.”
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 which left him unable to work. He found himself living in a ‘nightmare’.
Wheelchair bound and living alone in a high rise flat in Patricroft, he built his own allotment, rekindling the love of gardening which he had had at school, to help him cope with his worsening mental health and a neighbourhood which he says was rife with ‘anti-social’ behaviour.
“I got an allotment just for myself and I enjoyed it that much it improved my mental and physical health," Vinny said. "A girl from supported tenancy called Rebecca saw what I was growing in the back of my greenhouse and asked would I be interested in doing something for veterans and I said yes.
“I thought if it could do this for me then it could do it for somebody else. For me personally, I wasn’t diagnosed with severe PTSD for 30 years, so for 30 years I’ve suffered not knowing what was wrong with me.
"Every trauma I’ve had I had to deal with it myself. There must be more people who are isolated in flats who can’t speak to people who this can help.”
Vinny has been helped by volunteers and organisations in the community too. He was given the run down vacant plot on Tindall Street by Salford Council who he pitched the idea to and local landlord ForHousing has backed the project by donating £5,500 funding for a shed, greenhouses and garden sleepers and is giving First Aid training to all volunteers.
Property maintenance firm Liberty has contributed £5,000 of materials and their staff dug out a pathway that has made the site safe and accessible. They also helped to raise the garden beds, one of which has been made to resemble a Royal Navy warship.
Last month, during a visit to the ground with local councillor Tracy Kelly, Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett praised the 'great work' of Vinny and the team.
"The piece of land on Tindall Street allotments has been transformed into a haven for our veterans who want to come together to work on the plot. I wish them every success for the future," the mayor said.
On the success of the allotment, Vinny said: “It’s beyond what I thought it would become and it’s really doing some good, that’s what I’m proud about. It makes you wanna get up in the morning, it’s good for your mental health. When the weather’s great it’s great. When the weather’s bad, it’s great."
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