If you’re down at County Ground this weekend for the one-day Steelbacks vs South Africa cricket match, keep your eyes open for some extra special flower planters and hanging baskets.

Northamptonshire County Cricket Club recently enlisted the help of service users from Workbridge, part of St Andrew’s Healthcare, to plant an array of bedding plants which are now on display at the ground. 

The annual bedding plants were grown by the people who use Workbridge, a centre which offers vocational opportunities to people with a variety of mental health needs. The gardeners working on the project included individuals with learning disabilities, autism and brain injuries.

Chloe Dowell, Service Manager for Workbridge, explained: “The philosophy behind Workbridge is to provide people with an opportunity to work as part of a team, and we teach both technical and life skills, enabling our service users to see their potential in the community. The opportunity to work with Northamptonshire County Cricket Club has been wonderful; together the team planted up 14 hanging baskets and 17 containers, and everyone stayed in high spirits despite a very soggy planting day down at County Ground!”

Northamptonshire County Cricket Club’s Chief Executive, Ray Payne, commented: “We work closely with a number of neighbouring organisations in the local community and are proud to add Workbridge to that list. I have seen the excellent work they do and thought this would be a great opportunity for people who attend Workbridge to experience working at a professional sports ground. We look forward to working with them on a continued basis throughout the season.”