A gardener ‘heartbroken’ to see green spaces falling into disrepair wants to link elderly residents with more able volunteers.

Dale Coleman grew up in Sidmouth and, now 26, he thinks he is at an age where he can be taken more seriously – so he is starting a gardening business with a social conscience.

He plans to create fundraising events that will go towards paying for people to have their gardens maintained, and he hopes to get volunteers involved.

“There are a lot of elderly people in our town who have gardens [but they] can no longer look after them like they used to,” said the High Meadow resident.

“To me, this is heartbreaking, as I know the satisfaction a beautiful garden can bring.

“It’s sad to see that gardens that people have spent their lives making their own become the victim of life’s difficulties.

“I would like to bring all generations together by influencing young people like myself to help the elderly or less fortunate – not for personal gain but to show the community that we are better together.

“Eventually it would be fantastic to see a charity which brings all Sidmouth’s generations together to build a bright future for our amazing town.”

Dale has transformed his mum’s outdoor space from a ‘lifeless’ patio into a thriving, fruit-filled garden and helped out an elderly man on his road – just to make him happy.

“My business plan on the other hand is to create a customer-orientated gardening, horticulture and garden landscaping company in Sidmouth for a reliable service of all things garden,” he added.