Dozens of Chester Stake members donned their Helping Hands vests to follow King Benjamin’s exhortation: “succor those that stand in need of your succor...administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need.” (Mosiah 4:16)
There were projects to choose from around the stake. At Blacon Adventure Playground, a group of members repainted a large play barn interior, as well as clearing litter and painting fences. They thoroughly enjoyed their service - particularly the children, who got covered in paint, and then went to the playground and got covered in mud! Gary Miller, a Play Leader at the Playground said “I’m really grateful to the members of the Church that turned up today, and literally brightened the place up by providing a much-needed repaint to the barn.”
At Gwaith Powdwr Nature Reserve in Penrhyndeudraith, an incredible 34 volunteers from the Porthmadog Branch, with its average Sacrament attendance of 42, was led by Rob Booth from Wildlife Trust Wales.
Blessed with dry weather and breathtaking views of the snow-dusted peaks of Snowdonia, they literally blazed a trail for others to follow: cutting back brambles, levelling earth, and clearing stones to create a new path for visitors to the reserve.
A veritable army of painters 'brushed up' a considerable stretch of wooden railing with a new coat of paint. Another intrepid crew braved a steep trail down the cliffs, to collect rubbish from the beach area of the reserve, giving wildlife a safer habitat, and ennobling the view.
At Rhyl Chapel volunteers packed five hundred hygiene kits containing items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, plasters, soap, combs, facecloths and tissues. The kits were donated to two charities based in North Wales - UareUK (led by Jane Tornado), and ShareUK, whose volunteer Monica Hogg sent them to Syria and Uganda.
At Brickfields Park, Helping Hands volunteers made a wildlife “habitat hedge”, instructed by Jim Kilpatrick from Denbighshire County Council. The group cut back brambles and thorny branches, and used the branches for the new hedge. The hedge, nestled close to a pretty lakeside fishing point, is designed to serve two purposes: 1) to create a wind barrier for fishermen. 2) to attract thousands of beneficial insects. These in turn attract other wildlife.
Jim Kilpatrick, Countryside Warden for the area stated, “Brickfields Pond is a popular site for visitors. Cutting back on the site is carried out in sensitive manner to ensure no disturbance to birdlife - however each year there is a problem with getting rid of the cuttings. These hedges allow you to use the cuttings to create an important habitat, therefore relieving the need to burn. The hedges also create a beneficial structure for the fishermen. The group worked extremely hard and left with a real understanding of the benefits of what they created.”