STAFF at Gyllyngdune Gardens in Falmouth have paid their own tribute to a group of volunteers who give up their own time to work alongside the team of gardeners, by planting four trees in the pouring rain.

Pam Beattie, Sara Crook, Daniela Farina, Sean Hayden along with Corey Rule, Daniel Barbery and Jono Broome, from The Conservation Volunteers, have become regular faces around the gardens, taking on a range of duties from pruning and planting to general maintenance.

Sara and Daniela were unable to attend a recent tree planting, but the rest of the team braved atrocious weather to join head gardener Matt Stannard and his team to celebrate their dedication.

“There have been lots of other volunteers, but these are the ones that have helped the most,” said Matt. “They have been coming here for the past two years and worked alongside our gardeners from Cormac.”

One volunteer who was singled out for special praise was Pam Beattie, who was making her final visit to the garden for a while as she has now left the town to live in Tregony, near Truro. Only the week before Pam had been centre stage at the Cornwall Celebrates Volunteering Awards where she took first place in the vulnerable adult category.

Pam, who is partially sighted, said it had been “daunting” experience, collecting her award, and although she is very proud to have won she added: “I thought there were a lot of people more worthy than me.” In addition to her work at Gyllyngdune, Pam has also helped out at the Falmouth Mission to Seafarers and the local RNLI.

“I have been volunteering for many years and for many different things,” she said.

As a tribute to the volunteers, Matt and his team have planted a monkey puzzle tree, an English oak and umbrella pine and a holly bush around the gardens.