The darling BUDS are starting to grow

ADULTS with learning difficulties will be nurturing plants to brighten up Burton schools thanks to the launch of a new project.

Members of Burton Day Services (BUDS) have teamed up with East Staffordshire Borough Council to launch a new community nursery project at the Greenhouse Horticultural Centre, in Stapenhill.

The project, which is sponsored by Molson Coors and Trent and Dove Housing, will build on the work BUDS members have already done at the Greenhouse.

At present, members from the group visit the horticultural centre once a week on a work placement programme.

However, the new project will see BUDS members, who are adults with learning disabilities, running the nursery three days a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, producing plants for schools to use in the Gardening Olympics project and for community planting for the annual Burton In Bloom competition.

Liz Staples, the councilʼs deputy leader for partnerships and youth engagement, said: "The idea behind the project is to help give the BUDS members a real sense of achievement in the community, while they help us enormously by producing plants that the councilʼs green spaces team can go on to use in their other gardening projects.

"The other advantage for the BUDS members is that the enterprise will offer therapeutic and health benefits to the participants through gardening."