LAW FIRM DIGS DEEP TO HELP MAINTAIN MOMENTUM

5/31/2011 11:59 AM EST

The launch of a new allotment to help people with brain injuries has been welcomed by one the key beneficiaries of a leading Glasgow charity.

Momentum, the Glasgow-based brain injury support charity, has launched a new project based around an allotment space in the city’s Bellahouston Park.

The allotment will be kept and maintained by Momentum and the scores of people it helps each year – teaching them skills that cannot be replicated in a classroom such as teamwork, communication and, of course, gardening and horticulture.

The launch was welcomed by Joe McCarron a single father who suffered serious brain injures after falling from a ladder whilst at work, who said the allotment would provide an invaluable service to people with brain injuries.

And the Glasgow office of law firm Irwin Mitchell Scotland has donated £1,000 worth of gardening supplies vouchers to Momentum to help get the allotment project off the ground. Four members of staff from Irwin Mitchell Scotland spent the day lending a hand at the allotment as it launched.

Mr McCarron, who will be working at the Bellahouston Garden Project in Glasgow as a garden adviser, alongside Momentum staff and new service users every Thursday, said: “Gardening, and the outdoor life, gives me great pleasure both in summer and winter.

“I believe it has helped me with my memory and concentration problems, assisting me with forward planning, organising my life – and confidently looking forward to the future.

“There have also been health benefits – my overall appearance has changed, my stamina has improved and my entire attitude to life has changed for the better – and I look forward to getting up in the morning. I feel as though I am contributing to life, which is something that I had struggled with before coming to Momentum.”

Momentum manager, Sheila Munro said the allotment would provide an invaluable resource for the charity and it beneficiaries.

“Momentum helps to get people living with brain injuries back into work or meaningful activity – this allotment will help them get outside and working with other people,” she added.

“People with brain injuries often have very well-hidden symptoms and although they may look perfectly healthy, achieving a full recovery is rarely straightforward. Anything we can do to help them return to a routine, as well as developing other key skills, can be a huge help.”

Elaine Russell, partner at the Glasgow office of Irwin Mitchell Scotland, said: “Momentum carries out some invaluable work in the area to help people with brain injuries and we were delighted to be able to help.”