Volunteers Restore Unique Benches
Two dedicated volunteers, Harry Woods and James Cameron have given up hours of their time and been hard at work restoring two unique benches for new landscaped gardens at Parklea Branching Out. The gentlemen who have worked in engineering all their lives and are part of the Inverclyde Shed community, have taken on the challenge of refurbishing these historic park benches.
The story began in 2020 when Inverclyde Council asked if Parklea Branching Out could make use of two distinctive round benches that had been in the Fore Street gardens in Port Glasgow. One of our volunteers, Charlie MacKay, was keen to see that they didn’t get lost to the scrapheap so he started the initial renovations before Covid-19 unfortunately put a stop to his work.
Fast forward to this year when Harry Woods and Jim rolled up their sleeves, undeterred by the weather and the state of the benches, and set to work. First, they removed the wooden panels from the seats, severely weathered by time, which were carefully dried out and are restoring them as much as possible. Next, they stripped back the iron frames, preparing them for a fresh coat of paint.
Jim working on the wood, left, and Harry showing the difference with the wood before and after sanding.
Harry, left and Jim, right, with the benches
“We wanted to breathe new life into these benches,” says Harry, originally from Port Glasgow. “They’ve seen generations come and go, and we didn’t want to see them lost. They are so unique, I am really enjoying restoring them and supporting Parklea”
Jim added, “It’s been a labour of love and will take some time but we’ve been putting our engineering skills to good use and we are looking forward to seeing these benches ready to serve the community again. I have only recently retired so this is keeping me busy”
Parklea’s staff and clients eagerly await the benches’ installation in the new gardens in coming months, adjacent to the upcoming community hub. The public will have the chance to enjoy these unique pieces later this year.
Sharon Gemmell, the Manager of Parklea Branching Out, said, “I am delighted that Charlie brought these benches to us and that Harry and Jim have taken on this project, it is hard work and they are doing a great job. The time and effort they are putting in is really appreciated. We are all looking forward to seeing them when they are finished.”