Domestic Gardens
Removing the existing turf
“ Raking level Laying 50mm of granite stone
We have never met the Jaggers, but they needed help in funding, and Promise Dreams was able to provide a certain amount, so we said yes to providing the rest - we never say no to anybody
Whilst playing at home or at school,
Mason often puts handfuls of mud into his mouth and throws himself to the ground as a way of gaining sensory satisfaction. “If there are stones, he will find them! He digs around and collates them all,” Claire tells me. Claire and Jason Jagger were
desperate to transform their garden into a safe space for Mason to play and wanted to lay artificial turf so that he could gain his sensory needs without being in danger of hurting himself.
This is where Promise Dreams and Punjabi Wolves come in; the two charities that have funded Mason’s new playing area. I spoke to Raj Singh Bains, of Punjabi Wolves, about his work and the charity’s involvement in Mason’s dream: “Punjabi Wolves was founded to give Asians a voice in football. We are an established charity, and have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds since we started.” In fact, the charity has raised £350,000 to date, with a huge £30,000 of that raised in their first event alone. “We then went to deliver one of the dreams for Promise Dreams and, from then on, we donated to the charity every time we raised money.” These days, the charity raises money and then helps individuals and families directly, and Promise Dreams gets in contact when they feel that Raj and the team can help. “We find it very difficult to say no,” Raj tells me, “and a lot of the families that come to us are very proud and don’t like asking for money, so we never say no to anybody.” Raj had a call from Promise Dreams
a few months ago about Mason’s dream. “We have never met the Jaggers, but they needed help in funding, and Promise Dreams was able to provide a certain amount, so we said yes to providing the rest,” Raj tells me.
Claire talked to me about how The completed job 110 I PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016
grateful she and Jason are, and how shocked she was when Raj rang her to say the money was being transferred. “He was really lovely. I just couldn’t
believe someone would just hand us so much money. They didn’t discriminate against us because we work either, like a lot of charities do. A lot of people find it easier to get the money because they are on benefits, even when they don’t have children quite as demanding as Mason. Just because Jason works, does not mean we have lots of money to spend.” I am sat with Claire in her sitting
room, and her four-year-old son Harry is bringing me toys to play with. They are honestly the loveliest duo to spend a morning with. Claire tells me about the process of finding the funding. “We filled out an application and then spoke to Promise Dreams. It was quite quick really. I think they funded half of it, and then they asked me whether I minded them passing our details onto Punjabi Wolves.” Talking to Claire reminds me of what Raj said about the families he comes across that don’t like asking for money. Claire and Jason obviously like to deal with their situation in their own way. “We did have disability nurses and people to help with aggressive behaviour, but I didn’t find anything useful. I just like to deal with things. It is hard, but you’ve just got to deal with it.” Claire and Jason’s routine, along with the help of Mason’s school and the respite they receive, as well as Claire’s mum, who is wonderful with the children, means that they somehow manage to find a balance, and it is good to see that they have received the financial help with this project.
This is where I introduce the last piece of the puzzle, Technical Surfaces Ltd., who installed the artificial turf at the Jagger’s home. Regular readers of this magazine will know Technical Surfaces as UK based synthetic sports pitch maintenance specialists and, for projects such as this, the company use SowGreen® Classic artificial turf. SowGreen® Classic is made from
polyethylene yarn, which is designed to accurately mimic both the colour and texture of real grass. It is soft to
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