11th July 2019
Staff from the developer of one of Kent’s largest garden villages took time off from work for a day’s painting, planting and maintenance at the Royal British Legion Industries’ village in Aylesford, near Maidstone.
Sixteen people from Kings Hill developer Liberty Property Trust worked hard painting the village community café, Base Camp, rejuvenating the outdoor seating area by repainting wooden planters and planting them up with a vibrant selection of new plants, repairing sections of trellis, pruning the climbing roses, weatherproofing outdoor tables and weeding.
They also created a new planting scheme for the garden area adjoining the long façade of RBLI’s new luxury nursing care facility built in line with the charity’s centenary year.
“We were taking part in an annual event in memory of Liberty’s founder Bill Rouse when all 300 staff worldwide close their offices and spend the day serving their local communities,” said Liberty’s managing director Andrew Blevins.
“It was a pleasure to help such an incredible organisation, especially in this, its centenary year. It is a cause close to our hearts and we are donating to the charity all the proceeds from our book ‘Kings Hill – A Different Ball Game’ which charts Kings Hill’s history from medieval royal hunting ground to wartime airfield and to the thriving community it is today.”
Copies are available from the Control Tower at Kings Hill priced £10.
RBLI is a national charity supporting the Armed Forces, people with disabilities and those who are unemployed. It improves lives by inspiring those it helps find work and lead independent lives.
Currently it is raising £14m to create a new Centenary Village close to its Aylesford headquarters from where it delivers care, accommodation, training, employment and welfare services for veterans. The village will include an assisted living scheme, 24 apartments and 20 new family homes centred around a state-of-the-art community centre.
Steve Sherry CMG OBE, RBLI Chief Executive, said: “RBLI’s village has been the basis of our support for some of the country’s most vulnerable veterans for the past one hundred years.
“So we are incredibly grateful to have had the team from Liberty Property Trust kindly take the time away from their busy schedules to help renovate and improve the heart of our community, providing our residents with a beautiful environment in which to live.”