Published: Tuesday, 30th June, 2009 5:30pm

OAP soaks up sun in new garden thanks to GSK volunteers

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AN OAP with a love of the outdoors was overwhelmed to welcome a team of volunteers from a leading borough business to transform his overgrown garden.

As temperatures continued to soar six employees from GlaxoSmithKline in Stoke Poges Lane slaved under the beating sun for a day of back-breaking gardening work at the home of 93-year-old Slough resident Stan Pope.

Members of the self-entitled 'Horlicks Ground Force" donned overalls and shovels and got stuck into helping the proud pensioner transform his garden back to its former beauty.

Tracy Carville, team leader for the GSK project, said: 'It was really great to help out in this way, the team helped in the garden by painting, weeding and digging. I think we really managed to raise the spirits of Mr Pope who had become too old to carry out much work in the garden ad had become down-hearted about the state of it.

'These projects are run throughout the company and are known as Orange Days although this project was a little bit different as I had heard about this old chap who was struggling and suggested we held out.'

The elderly Oatlands Drive resident will now be relying on the help of neighbours to maintain his garden and is looking forward to spending plenty of happy hours in the sun.