HOURS after the Hreod Burna Urban Forest issued an appeal through the Adver for a mower to help clear allotments, a resident generously donated several items of garden maintenance equipment.

On Saturday, members of the group issued an appeal to help track down a lawnmower to clear the site in Gorse Hill to help make them ready for planting.

And only hours after the appeal was published, an anonymous benefactor got in touch to offer three items of garden maintenance, including a lawnmower, a leaf blower and a strimmer.

Steve Thompson, one of the trustees of the group which achieved charitable status earlier this year, said: “The story went into the paper on Saturday and by 10.30am somebody rang me up and said that they had a mounted mower, a strimmer and a leaf blower and they said they wanted to donate it to us, which is just brilliant.

“It doesn’t have an auto scythe so we will still have to get them but it will be great for the paths and it’s just brilliant.

“They had had their garden patioed and so no longer needed the lawn mower.

“It’s only two years old apparently.

“The paths have really begun to get overgrown and the mower will mean we can cut that back, and the strimmer will mean we can make a real start on clearing back the allotments.

“We are just so grateful to the Adver and to the guy for all their help.”

The green open space is on the site of the former allotments at Pickards Small Field and Kembrey Grass, which was facing being built on and lost to housing back in 2012.

Since then the group has been working hard to develop the site, which includes several allotment plots which must be cleared before they can be offered to residents.

Although they have been given a seated mower, the group is still looking for a mower with an auto scythe to cut down the larger weeds and foliage that have grown during the time.

Steve said: “Delays in getting the allotments off the ground has meant a ferocious growth of weeds on the area.

“We need this type of mower to cut them down and also for our proposed wild flower meadow and paths.

“We’re not begging, we do have funds for a second-hand one.

“But because of the nature of the place we need a particular type of mower, an auto scythe which has reciprocating blades like hair clippers.

“We can’t afford a new one and we cannot find a good secondhand one.”