A day in the life of a Leeds gardener in the coronavirus lockdown

In his role as a member of the gardening and estates team at Leeds and Yorkshire Housing Association (LYHA), he is about as far removed from the confines of an office - and all its current complications - as you can be.

Tending to plants, lawns, trees and weeds across the city, the 49-year-old admits he is in the lucky position of enjoying his job and being able to continue to work.

"I'm really glad that I'm able to carry on working outside at the moment and we've had lots of positive feedback from customers about the fact that we're still maintaining the gardens so that they can enjoy sitting out and getting some fresh air. I'm in a very lucky position that I really enjoy my job."

Gary has worked at LYHA for over two years, as part of a 25-year-career so far in horticulture, having previously worked for Leeds City College and Leeds City Council, including teaching the subject.

He said a typical day at the moment begins at 7.30am, loading up the tools into the van and getting the association's machines ready to start gardening at 8am.

"We usually work in pairs but obviously because of social distancing that's not possible at the moment, so I'm working on my own.

"I'm careful not go to near anyone while I'm working and also wearing protective equipment and gloves to ensure that everyone stays safe."

He said the importance of maintaining gardens for the housing association cannot be underestimated - especially in the current coronavirus lockdown.

"For a lot of people, especially those that are older and vulnerable, the green space outside their homes is the only place they can go outside at the moment, so it's really important that we keep it tidy and safe."

Gary's sites stretch from Kippax in the east of the city to Guiseley in the west and vary greatly in size - so some days he spends the entire day in one location but others he splits his time between different venues.

"In this job the weather is obviously a factor so I'll always look at the forecast for the week ahead when I'm planning which jobs to do when," he said.

The working day is longer in the summer for the gardening team, as the lawns and gardens grow much faster and the sun sets later.

Gary said his favourite part of the job is mowing: "It gives me a chance to clear my head and just enjoy being outdoors."

He added: "I just hope that this good weather continues and people are able to enjoy some time outside for the rest of the summer - at a social distance of course."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. These are challenging times but the team at the Yorkshire Evening Post need your support more than ever in the weeks ahead.

While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you - wherever possible and providing it is safe for you to do so - to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Inevitably falling advertising revenues will start to have an impact on local newspapers and the way we continue to work during this period of uncertainty. So the support of our readers has never been more important as we try to make sure that we keep you connected with the city you live in during this time. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. We need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Our team of trusted reporters are working incredibly hard behind the scenes - from kitchen tables and spare bedrooms - to look at how we can do this and your continued support to the YEP will help to protect its viability in the days and weeks ahead.

For more details on our subscription offers please visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk/YEP, email [email protected] or call us on 0330 4033004.

Thank you

Laura Collins

Editor