Derbyshire BT team roll up their sleeves for Bluebell Wood

The tired wooden train in Bluebell Wood’s gardens has been transformed into a bright and colourful hideout, thanks to a hard-working team of volunteers from BT Barlborough.

The wheelchair accessible train - a popular seating and play area for children and families who visit the hospice - was weather-beaten and in desperate need of some TLC.

It has now been restored to its former glory in a radical DIY SOS style transformation.

As well as sanding down the train and painting it over two days, the colleagues even found time to repaint a Wendy house and do some work on the hospice’s memory garden.

BT Trainer Darren Farnsworth, who is a long-standing Bluebell Wood volunteer, was on hand to keep his colleagues motivated.

“We all really enjoyed it and it was incredibly satisfying to see the end result of our work,” said Darren, from Dinnington.

“What Bluebell Wood offers to children and families is absolutely wonderful, so to visit the hospice and see it for yourself really brings it home.

“It gives us a great sense of pride that we can contribute in some small way and give something back to the local community.”

For Darren, who’s volunteered in Bluebell Wood’s shops and the hospice itself, the project was very welcome after what had been an incredibly difficult few months.

“I have recently lost my mum and my best friend, so being with people and knowing I could make a difference at such a difficult time helped me in my times of need,” said Darren.

“I’m still very emotional but volunteering at Bluebell Wood has helped me a lot.

“Knowing that you’re helping such an amazing charity to help others in need really makes it all worthwhile.”

Gemma Robinson, Volunteer Coordinator at Bluebell Wood, said: “We were all amazed by the stunning transformation and it’s all thanks to the BT team who put so much hard work into the project.

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved for doing such a fantastic job.

“Thanks to you, children and families who visit will be able to enjoy the rejuvenated features in the hospice garden for years to come.”