Bulb offer blown out (From Stroud News and Journal)

Bulb offer blown out

A PROFESSIONAL gardener's kind offer to plant spring bulbs free of charge outside Stroud's Inland Revenue offices has been turned down - in case she cuts herself.

Jenny Bailey of Summer Street asked if she could plant bulbs on a strip of grass outside the offices as part of the Stroud In Bloom campaign.

Ten years ago her good deed was readily accepted but this week when she repeated the offer the manager of the Merrywalks office, Jo Allcock, apologetically declined citing health and safety regulations.

"She said we would love to have them but unfortunately she couldn't give me permission because of health and safety issues because they don't own the building and what if I cut myself," said an incredulous Mrs Bailey.

"Isn't it ridiculous? I just thought what is the world coming to? This was for Stroud in Bloom.

"If you ask me it is the EU and all these directives that come through. It's crazy. Who makes these stupid rules?"

"It makes me despair of this country, it really does. It makes you wonder what we will have to ask permission for next."

Inland Revenue spokesman Dave Gostellow explained that since Mrs Bailey's successful request a decade ago the building had been sold and the government department was now a tenant.

He said: "It is health and safety and under the terms of our agreement with the landlord we can't do anything to the building of the grounds surrounding it."

Following the telephone call from the SNJ, Mr Gostellow said: "What we would suggest is if Mrs Bailey could repeat her kind offer we would contact the landlord and ask permission to plant them.

"I'm sure they would send one of their gardeners along to dig them in for us." Mrs Bailey, though, was distinctly unimpressed by the offer and will now be taking her bulbs elsewhere.

"The country has gone completely crazy," she said. "They are going to kill voluntary work. All this fuss over a few bulbs. The whole idea is we do it ourselves. I'm a professional gardener. I don't want people planting them for me."