Published: Monday, 8th February, 2010 4:00pm

Time to get tooled up

by Jonathan Kelly

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GREEN-FINGERED folk are being invited to trade in old and broken tools to help schoolchildren and community groups.

Heathlands Garden Centre in Wokingham and Wyevale Garden Centre in Binfield are asking for assistance with their 'Garden Tool Amnesty' running from Saturday, February 13 until Sunday, February 28.

The centres will give anyone who brings their old gardening tools in a 20% of voucher for new tools from Fiskars, Yeoman or Joseph Bentley equipment. The collected tools will be repaired by prisoners before being given to schools and community groups to use in their gardens.

Carol Coupe, Manager of Heathlands Garden Centre, said: "It's the third year we have run an appeal like this. The event is in aid of The Conservation Foundation's 'Tools Shed' programme, which gives free garden tools repaired in a number of UK prisons to schools and community gardens."

The initiative applies to tools including trowels, spades, hand and garden forks, hoes, good old-fashioned garden rakes and lawn rakes, but not power tools, which are those powered by electricity or are petrol-driven.

The Conservation Foundation's Director, David Shreeve added: "With more and more schools and community groups 'growing their own' there is great demand for garden tools and rarely any budget. Tools Shed is a popular initiative that provides practical skills to prisoners, reduces waste and helps equip the next generation of gardeners."

To find out more about the Tool Amnesty, call Heathlands Garden Centre on 0118 977 3055 or Wyevale Binfield Garden Centre on 01344 869 456.